I remember first seeing Brad Pitt in the 1991 movie Thelma and Louise and thinking, oh my gosh – who cloned Robert Redford? Brad Pitt actually got his lucky break on this movie because William Baldwin was the first choice to play J.D., but Baldwin left to shoot Backdraft. The first full-length movie starring Brad Pitt was filmed in the summer of 1988 but not released until 1997: The Dark Side of the Sun. The movie was filmed in Yugoslavia but right before the final editing, civil war broke out and all the film footage was lost. Amazingly in 1996, someone found the footage and returned it to the director.
Little did I know that before Thelma and Louise, Brad Pitt had already appeared in a couple dozen other movies and television shows like Glory Days, thirtysomething, Growing Pains, No Way Out and Across the Tracks. When Brad Pitt became a household name in 1991, women everywhere could not get enough of the new eye candy on the big screen. In 1994, People Magazine named Brad Pitt the Sexiest Man Alive and by 1995, Brad Pitt would be named one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History by Empire magazine. Although Brad Pitt did not star in these movies, Twelve Monkeys and Sleepers are among my favorite movies in which Brad Pitt played a supporting role.
William Bradley Pitt was born on December 18, 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Brad Pitt was raised in Springfield, Missouri where he attended Kickapoo High School and later dropped out of college two credits short of graduating, bound for Hollywood. The 5’11” actor did a couple of odd jobs while striving for super stardom in California, most notably driving strippers around in limos and dressing like a chicken for el Pollo Loco.
Brad Pitt turned down a role in Apollo 13 to star in the 1995 movie Se7en, which is one of my favorite Brad Pitt movies. Although it seems like a box office mistake for Pitt, he really started showing his acting range in the movie Se7en. Pitt was banned from going to China because of his starring role in the 1997 movie Seven Years in Tibet. It didn’t turn out all bad for Brad Pitt though; he has gone from making $6,000 in Thelma and Louise to making $20 million in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Brad Pitt also produces movies and has 5 movies in which he acts that are announced or in production for release in 2010-2012.
Best Movies Starring Brad Pitt
A River Runs Through It (1992)
Directed by Robert Redford, Brad Pitt stars as Paul Maclean, the black sheep son of an avid fly-fisherman, and younger brother to the perfect child. This is my favorite Brad Pitt movie because of the beautiful scenery and the universal plot of intense sibling rivalry leading to a family disaster, but saved by a common family activity, fly-fishing. I have seen this film at least 12 times and continue to be amazed at the perfect chemistry of the actors in this film.
Legends of the Fall (1994)
My favorite One Stab Profound Quotes:
“Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness and they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy, or they become legends.”
“It is hard to tell of happiness. Time goes by and we feel safe too soon.”
A Native American character, One Stab, who lives with the family and collects all the family letters over the years, tells the story in Legends of the Fall. Brad Pitt stars as Tristan Ludlow in a family story with similar themes and beautiful settings as A River Runs Through It. Again, Brad Pitt plays a troubled son and brother who needs his own world to make peace with himself. Soon the family bond is tested when the three sons go to war and love the same woman, played by the beautiful Julia Ormond. Of course, I love that Anthony Hopkins plays Brad Pitt’s father, Colonel William Ludlow. I’ve also seen this movie at least a dozen times. The spiritual aspect of family bonds despite life trying to tear it apart is a powerful theme in this film. The Native American influence is so profoundly inspirational that I keep coming back for more.
Se7en (1995)
Brad Pitt stars as Detective David Mills along side Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow. Although I don’t usually like watching films about serial killers, I had to see Brad Pitt in an action role other than acting as a son and a brother. For me, this was the real test of whether Brad Pitt would be a super star actor. Wow, it is a great one from Brad Pitt. The serial killer sets out to kill seven people using the Seven Deadly Sins. What is really bizarre about the number seven, is that Brad Pitt was paid $7 million for this movie, had been in seven movies where the title included the character Brad Pitt played, and as luck would have it, Denzel Washington turned down the role of Detective Mills before Brad Pitt got the part. The movie was not all good luck for Pitt, though. During the filming, Brad Pitt fell and broke his arm, requiring surgery.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
When I first heard about this movie, I thought how could anyone in Hollywood pick a long title like this that most people could not remember in order to chat it up. I also thought why do we have another Wild West outlaw movie. After seeing the movie, it is so good that everyone remembered it and talked about it. Brad Pitt stars as Jesse James along side Casey Affleck who plays Robert Ford. The movie picks up toward the end of Jesse James’ life when Jesse James meets Robert Ford who idolizes James and wants to be a famed outlaw like him. Intense character relationships are brilliantly built that follow the story through Ford killing James. Ford selfishly believed this would be the act that put him over the top, but that is not what history wanted. Surprisingly excellent movie!
Burn After Reading (2008)
When you are in a movie with George Clooney and you beat George at being the first person to get People Magazine‘s Sexiest Man Alive twice, you have to expect second billing on the movie credits line. But, Brad is above John Malkovich on the credit line, so I am considering Brad Pitt in a starring role as Chad Feldheimer. You might say I am Cohen Brothers biased on this, but Brad Pitt’s performance as the quirky gym worker who finds a CIA disc is hilarious! You don’t see Brad Pitt in many funny roles, so I had to see how Pitt would manage Cohen material. I loved it! Chad and his co-worker, played by Frances McDormand, enter into a detailed plot to get cash for what they think is classified information. It is a new side of Brad Pitt that worked.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Although this movie was not one of my all time favorites because it dragged in places, it did win three Academy Awards and I thought it was Brad Pitt’s best lifetime performance to date. I loved watching Brad Pitt act in a role that did not just feature his drop-dead gorgeous looks, but still had parts where his sex appeal filled the big screen. After seeing the movie, I cannot imagine another actor who could play the role as good as Brad Pitt played it, although Tom Cruise was the initial favorite for the part. Later in the film’s planning Ron Howard was supposed to direct with John Travolta playing the lead. There are seven “struck by lightening” stories in the movie – another one of Brad Pitt’s seemingly bizarre lifetime attachments to the number seven.
Source:
IMDb Brad Pitt Bio
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000093/
