Evolution of Brad Pitt, from personal turmoil to era-defining superstardom

The rise, fall and rebirth of the Oscar-winning F1: The Movie star

Brad Pitt at the world premiere of F1: The Movie in New York. EPA

There are few actors who have commanded as much attention both on screen and off as Brad Pitt. While the ups and downs of his personal life have often dominated headlines, he has simultaneously built one of the richest filmographies in history over the past four decades, featuring blockbusters and cult favourites, and even stepped into the role of producer with Oscar-winning films.

And at 61, he's showing no signs of slowing down. This month, Pitt stars in F1: The Movie. Ahead of the action-sport film's Abu Dhabi premiere, we look back at the evolution of one of modern cinema's most reliable stalwarts.

1963-1990: Early life and small roles

In 1988, Brad Pitt appeared in a handful of episodes in TV shows Dallas and 21 Jump Street. Getty Images

William Bradley Pitt was born on December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, before moving to Springfield, Missouri. He was the eldest of three children. His father, William Alvin Pitt, owned a trucking company, while his mother, Jane Etta, worked as a school counsellor. Both of his parents encouraged him and his siblings to pursue their interests, fostering creativity and ambition. As a teenager, Pitt took part in drama classes and school plays but initially studied journalism and advertising at the University of Missouri. Two years into his studies, he decided to pursue a career in acting instead.

In 1986, Pitt moved to Los Angeles with just $325 to his name. He worked a variety of jobs including waiting tables and chauffeuring to support himself while attending acting classes. Early roles were small parts in television shows such as Dallas (1987-88) and 21 Jump Street (1988), which gave him exposure, but did not immediately lead to stardom.

1991: Breakthrough with Thelma & Louise

Pitt’s breakthrough came in 1991 with the release of Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise. His portrayal of a charismatic drifter who captures the hearts of the lead characters, played by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, earned him critical acclaim and introduced him to a wider audience. The film’s success marked a turning point in Pitt's career, opening doors to more significant roles.

1992-1995: Transition to leading man

Gwyneth Paltrow and Pitt dated in the mid-1990s. Photo: Kevin Mazur Archive / WireImage

In the early 1990s, Pitt starred in period dramas such as A River Runs Through It in 1992, and Interview with the Vampire and Legends of the Fall, both in 1994, which showcased his ability to carry emotional and complex roles while playing the love interest.

His career took a darker turn with David Fincher’s murder mystery Se7en in 1995, where he played a capable detective alongside screen veteran Morgan Freeman. That same year, Pitt earned his first Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role in Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys, a sci-fi film about time travel and the end of the world.

His rise hit some turbulence in 1998, when Pitt starred in the romantic film Meet Joe Black, a remake of the 1934 film Death Takes a Holiday. The film received mixed reviews from critics who began to question Pitt's ability to portray the straight romantic lead, leading to a significant adjustment in how he presented himself to audiences moving forward.

1999: From heart-throb to Fight Club

In 1999, Pitt’s previously conceived image of a heart-throb would be challenged as he took on the role of Tyler Durden in Fincher’s Fight Club. While the film divided critics and audiences upon release, it later became a cult classic and significantly raised Pitt’s profile. His portrayal of the character has also transcended cinema, turning the character into a controversial cultural icon for certain corners of modern masculinity.

Fight Club was a true turning point for Pitt and the types of roles he would take on. He followed it up with leading roles in Guy Ritchie's Snatch in 2000, then The Mexican, Spy Game and Ocean's Eleven in 2001.

While he still had the looks of a romance novel cover star, Pitt eschewed that archetype, purposefully undermining that image with gruff, deeply flawed characters from the fringes of society. That interplay came to define his career. The switch not only added depth to those roles, but altered his persona moving forward – while also foreshadowing some of his more public struggles.

2000-2016: Personal life in the spotlight

Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007; the couple married in 2014. Getty Images

Pitt’s personal life attracted significant media attention throughout the 2000s. He married actress Jennifer Aniston, from the hit sitcom Friends, in 2000, and they became one of Hollywood’s most famous couples. The marriage ended in 2005. That same year, Pitt began a relationship with actress Angelina Jolie.

The pair met on the set of the action film Mr. & Mrs. Smith the year prior. Together, they became known as “Brangelina” and built a blended family with six children, three of whom were adopted internationally.

Pitt and Jolie married in 2014, but separated two years later. Their divorce proceedings were widely covered in the media and revealed allegations of abuse by Jolie, which were denied by Pitt's representatives.

The fallout from the divorce revelations hurt Pitt's public image and reputation, furthered by his children's choice to sever ties with him.

2010s-present: Awards recognition behind and in front of the camera

In 2020, Pitt won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. AFP

In the 2010s, Pitt continued to appear in diverse and challenging roles even amid his struggles off-camera. In Bennett Miller’s Moneyball from 2011, he played Billy Beane, the real-life baseball executive who almost took the Oakland A’s to the World Series. The role earned Pitt his third Academy Award nomination. His second nomination came in 2009 for his role in Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

A defining moment of the decade came with Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood from 2019. Pitt’s performance as stuntman Cliff Booth won him his first Academy Award for acting the following year. He had already won his first Oscar as producer for Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave in 2014.

Pitt stepped into the producer role in 2006 with Martin Scorsese's The Departed. Since then, he has been credited as producer on celebrated and acclaimed films such as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Tree of Life, The Big Short and Ad Astra.

Through his production company Plan B, Pitt has often championed stories of filmmakers of colour such as the Asian-American immigrant tale Minari directed by Lee Isaac Chung, and the 2025 Best Picture nominee Nickel Boys, a tale of systemic racism against the black community in 20th-century Florida directed by RaMell Ross.

Pitt's latest roles have also directly been inspired by his personal struggles. For Bullet Train, he told Et bil Arabi: “That's what drew me to the role. This man who’s trying to grow – but also somewhat regressing – on his way to being a better person. My own experience with self-help and therapy allowed me to [make light] of that.

“There are moments when you have one epiphany and you think you have the whole egg figured out, and then you step in a pile of crap the next day. This was making fun of that, and I took great pleasure in it.”

With F1: The Movie shaping up to be one of his biggest yet, another film about a late-career comeback, Pitt's interplay between personal and professional seems set to continue long into the future.