Editing Brad Pitt (section)

==Early life==
William Bradley Pitt was born on December 18, 1963, in [[Shawnee, Oklahoma]], to William Alvin Pitt, the proprietor of a trucking company, and Jane Etta (née Hillhouse), a school counselor.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bunbury|first=Stephanie|title=The business of being Brad|url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/film/the-business-of-being-brad/2008/12/13/1228585167094.html|newspaper=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=December 14, 2008|access-date=May 13, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603061437/http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/film/the-business-of-being-brad/2008/12/13/1228585167094.html|archive-date=June 3, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The family soon moved to [[Springfield, Missouri]], where he lived together with his younger siblings, [[Douglas Pitt]] (born 1966) and Julie (née Pitt) Neal (born 1969).<ref name="slipping four">{{cite magazine|title=Slippin' around on the road with Brad Pitt |author=Chris Mundy |date=December 1, 1994|magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> Born into a conservative Christian household,<ref name="Blair2019">{{cite web |last1=Blair |first1=Leonardo |title=Brad Pitt no longer identifies as atheist, says he was just being 'rebellious' |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/brad-pitt-no-longer-identifies-as-atheist-says-he-was-just-being-rebellious.html |publisher=[[The Christian Post]] |access-date=October 3, 2019 |language=en |date=September 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004010333/https://www.christianpost.com/news/brad-pitt-no-longer-identifies-as-atheist-says-he-was-just-being-rebellious.html |archive-date=October 4, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Parents">{{cite news|url=https://theprovince.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Brad+Pitt+mother+bashes+Obama+local+paper/6894885/story.html |title=Brad Pitt's Mother Bashes Obama in Local Paper |access-date=July 6, 2012 |date=July 6, 2012 |first=Alexander C.|last=Kaufman |website=[[The Wrap]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707195733/http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Brad%2BPitt%2Bmother%2Bbashes%2BObama%2Blocal%2Bpaper/6894885/story.html |archive-date=July 7, 2012}}</ref> he was raised as [[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptist]] and later "oscillate[d] between [[agnosticism]] and [[atheism]]".<ref>{{cite news|last=Galloway|first=Stephen|title=The Many Revolutions of Brad Pitt|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/brad-pitt-oscar-nomination-moneyball-tree-life-angelina-jolie-284635|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=February 7, 2014|date=January 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215082436/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/brad-pitt-oscar-nomination-moneyball-tree-life-angelina-jolie-284635|archive-date=February 15, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> He later reconciled his belief in spirituality.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baron |first1=Zach |title=Brad Pitt Is Still Searching |url=https://www.gq.com/story/brad-pitt-cover-profile-october-2019 |magazine=[[GQ (magazine)|GQ]] |access-date=March 13, 2020 |date=September 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200409071612/https://www.gq.com/story/brad-pitt-cover-profile-october-2019 |archive-date=April 9, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Pitt has described Springfield as "[[Mark Twain]] country, [[Jesse James]] country", having grown up with "a lot of hills, a lot of lakes".<ref name=tca>Stated on ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]'', 2012</ref>

Pitt attended [[Kickapoo High School (Springfield, Missouri)|Kickapoo High School]], where he was a member of the golf, swimming, and tennis teams.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20529706,00.html |work=People |title=Brad Pitt Was a Wrestler and a Diver&nbsp;– Never a Baseball Player |date=September 19, 2011 |access-date=December 25, 2011 |first=Rennie |last=Dyball |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211133929/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20529706,00.html |archive-date=December 11, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He participated in the school's [[Key Club|Key]] and [[Forensics (public speaking)|Forensics]] clubs, in school debates, and in musicals.<ref name="fox film">{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/brad-pitt-filmography-biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210104647/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,191847,00.html?sPage=fnc%2Fentertainment%2Fcelebrity%2Fpitt |url-status=live |archive-date=February 10, 2009 |title=Brad Pitt Filmography, Biography |date=May 11, 2006 |publisher=[[Fox News Channel|Fox News]] |access-date=October 30, 2008}}</ref> Following his graduation from high school, Pitt enrolled in the [[University of Missouri]] in 1982, majoring in journalism with a focus on advertising.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.biography.com/people/brad-pitt-9441989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004005938/http://www.biography.com/people/brad-pitt-9441989 |url-status=live |archive-date=October 4, 2011 |title=Brad Pitt – Film Actor, Producer, Actor |date=March 1, 2018 |publisher=[[Biography (TV series)|A & E Television Networks]] |access-date=October 9, 2018}}</ref> As graduation approached, Pitt did not feel ready to settle down. He loved films—"a portal into different worlds for me"—and, since films were not made in Missouri, he decided to go to where they were made.<ref name="parade">{{cite web|title=Interview With Brad Pitt|url=http://parade.condenast.com/50120/parade/interview-with-brad-pitt/|publisher=Parade|access-date=August 28, 2014|date=September 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906114921/http://parade.condenast.com/50120/parade/interview-with-brad-pitt/|archive-date=September 6, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author1=Tom Junod|title=Brad Pitt: A Life So Large|url=http://www.esquire.com/features/brad-pitt-cover-interview-0613|magazine=Esquire|access-date=August 28, 2014|date=May 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906114320/http://www.esquire.com/features/brad-pitt-cover-interview-0613|archive-date=September 6, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Two weeks short of completing the coursework for a degree, Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons and worked odd jobs.<ref name="parade" /> He has named [[Gary Oldman]], [[Sean Penn]], and [[Mickey Rourke]] as his early acting heroes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mtv.co.uk/news/8u154s/brad-pitt-on-oscars|title=Brad Pitt on Oscars|date=January 23, 2009|publisher=[[MTV (UK and Ireland)|MTV UK]]|access-date=February 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109032703/http://www.mtv.co.uk/brad-pitt/news/brad-pitt-on-oscars|archive-date=January 9, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>