THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT BRAD PITT OUR CELEB OF THE DAY

1969

Singing his Praises Even as a 6-year-old choirboy, Pitt turns heads during services at South Haven Baptist Church in his hometown of Springfield, Mo. "You couldn't keep from watching Brad because his face was so expressive," piano accompanist Connie Bilyeu tells PEOPLE. "He would move his little mouth so big with all the words that he attracted everyone's attention." 1986 January Cluck for a Buck Pitt drops out of the University of Missouri's journalism school to pursue acting in Hollywood. He takes a number of odd jobs once he gets there, including dressing up as an El Pollo Loco chicken and chauffeuring a limo for a strip-o-gram service. 1987

December First Kiss Pitt nabs a five-episode guest-starring role on the primetime soap ''Dallas''. He plays Randy, the boyfriend of Priscilla Presley's daughter. "It was real sweaty-palms time for me," he tells PEOPLE of his first smooching scene with actress Shalane McCall. "It was kind of wild, because I'd never even met her before." 1989

Romance Behind the Scenes After meeting 16-year-old Juliette Lewis on the set of the TV movie Too Young to Die, they begin dating. "We were trying to be Sid and Nancy or something," he says of the relationship, which quickly gets serious when they move into a funky L.A. home together. The two, who star as greasy serial killers in 1993's Kalifornia, break up in February of that year 1991

May 24 Ab Fab Pitt steals the show as the often-shirtless hitchhiker who charms fleeing fugitive Geena Davis in Thelma & Louise. He almost didn't get the role, having been cast only when Billy Baldwin bowed out to star in Backdraft. 1992

October 09 Instant Legend Often compared to Robert Redford because of his good looks, Pitt is directed by the screen legend in what the Los Angeles Times calls "a career-making performance" as one of two fly-fishing brothers in A River Runs Through It. "It's like tennis: When you play with somebody better than you, your game gets better," he tells the Chicago Tribune of working with Redford. "But yeah, it made me anxious." 1994

November 11 He's Got Bite In his highest-profile role to date, Pitt holds his own opposite Tom Cruise in the big-screen adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. Pitt's bloodsucking character's sour mood makes shooting the movie a downer. "I hated doing this movie," he tells USA Today. "Hated it. Loved watching it. Completely hated doing it. My character is depressed from the beginning to the end."

December Lucky Number Se7en While filming the thriller Se7en, Pitt becomes smitten with 22-year-old costar Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays his eventually decapitated wife in the film. In December 1996, Pitt proposes to Paltrow and she accepts. "I can't wait, man," he tells Rolling Stone. "...walk down the aisle, wear the ring, kiss the bride. Oh, it's going to be great." Seven months later, they call off their engagement. 1995

January 30 Life Ain't the Pitts PEOPLE names Pitt the Sexiest Man Alive. "Brad is one of the most attractive and talented men in the world," Vampire producer David Geffen tells PEOPLE. "He's going to be one of the biggest actors out there." December 27 Committed Eager to deglamorize himself, Pitt appears as a twitchy mental patient in the sci-fi thriller Twelve Monkeys. As part of his preparation, the actor checks into a psychiatric ward at a Philadelphia hospital for one day. The role earns Pitt his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. 1996

October You're Money, Baby Pitt scores a reported $17.5 million up front from Universal Pictures to star in the upcoming feature Meet Joe Black. It's his first mega-star-worthy paycheck after receiving $10 million for each of his previous two films 1998 May Not Just Friends Pitt and Friends star Jennifer Aniston go on a first date brokered by their respective managers. While neither will reveal who asked for it, both seem pretty happy with the result. While they initially go out of their way not to be photographed together, the pair eventually admit that they are indeed a couple, with Pitt reluctantly telling Oprah Winfrey in October, "Uh, we met through friends." 1999

October 15 Box-Office Knockout Pitt appears as Tyler Durden in the hyper-violent Fight Club. To fully get in shape for the role – a sleazy, leather-jacket-wearing waiter who runs an underground slugging joint – Pitt practiced boxing and tae kwon do for months. He also temporarily had caps pried off his front teeth and replaced with snaggles. "My girl likes them," he says to PEOPLE. 2000

July 29 I'll Be There for You Among friends, fireworks and 50,000 flowers, Aniston and Pitt tie the knot on a Malibu bluff, reading marriage vows they composed themselves. Pitt promises to "split the difference on the thermostat" while Aniston pledges to always make his "favorite banana milkshake." Pitt's brother Doug, 33, serves as best man. Aniston chooses two bridesmaids: high school friend Andrea Bendewald, 30, and documentary filmmaker Kristin Hahn-Stringer, 31, one of the first friends Aniston made in L.A. Famous guests include Courteney Cox Arquette and husband David Arquette, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek and Melissa Etheridge

November 13 We're Bringing Sexy Back Pitt is the first man to be named PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive twice. "Brad was always gorgeous," says assistant managing editor Elizabeth Sporkin, who oversaw the issue, "but commitment has amped up his inner glow." Pal George Clooney joins him in the honor in 2006 2001

March 02 Pretty Man...and Woman Pitt appears in The Mexican with Julia Roberts, marking the first time the two A-list stars have ever shared the screen together. It won't be the last: they'll team up with George Clooney and Matt Damon later in the year for the remake of Ocean's Eleven. Brad Pitt November 22 The Famous Spouse Playing a formerly dorky high school friend of David Schwimmer's character on Friends, guest star Pitt is invited to Thanksgiving dinner, where he squares off against Aniston's character, an old adversary. It is Pitt's only appearance on the show, although he is a frequent fixture on the set, often playing video games with Schwimmer or talking cars with Matt LeBlanc.

March Pitt Wears Short Skirts Playing the ancient Greek warrior Achilles, Pitt begins filming Troy in a variety of locations, including Mexico and Malta. With production costs coming in around $185 million, it will be the most expensive picture Pitt has participated in, although it isn't the elaborate set that takes the most adjustment. "Let's just say that the skirt took a few weeks to get used to," he tells London's Sunday Times. "It's not even like a kilt. With a kilt, you've got a bit of length, but those Greeks liked the mini." Despite Pitt's overexposure, Troy will be a commercial disappointment when it premieres in May 2004, grossing $133 million domestically.

January Intrigue and Espionage Shooting begins on the spy action movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith. It doesn't take long for the tabloids to print reports emerging from the set about real-life sparks between Pitt and the film's other title actor, Angelina Jolie. "We try as hard as we can just to stay away from [the gossip]," Aniston says in May. "We try to laugh, of course." Pitt's brother Doug tells PEOPLE, "It's crap. Total crap." Brad Pitt November We Are the World Pitt travels to South Africa to meet with former president Nelson Mandela and call attention to the country's AIDS epidemic before flying to Ethiopia on behalf of a Third World lobby group. "I've spent a wonderful week traveling this beautiful continent," he says in a statement, "listening to the people and learning about the AIDS crisis, the extreme poverty and what people in America can do to help." Continuing their work as social advocates, Pitt and Aniston lend their support to One Voice, a group promoting Middle East peace. Earlier in the year he campaigns for John Kerry and stem cell research.

January 07 Separating Pitt & Aniston Pitt and Aniston formally separate. "We would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media," they say in a statement. "This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration." March 25 Mock Family Pitt and Jolie pose for a steamy W magazine spread featuring them as husband and wife. "The only time Brad and Angelina came in contact with each other was to take a picture," an onlooker tells PEOPLE. Yet "there was definitely that wink-wink feeling on the set." Brad Pitt April 19 The Cat's out of the Bag Pictures of Pitt and Jolie frolicking with her 3-year-old son Maddox on Kenya's Diani Beach give credence to tabloid reports that they are a couple. Despite sharing a $2,000-a-night oceanside villa and journeying on a half-day safari at the Shimba Hills National Reserve, the newly crowned "Brangelina" refuse to confirm their coupledom. In June, Pitt denies that Jolie is a "home wrecker" in an interview with Diane Sawyer. Brad Pitt 2006 July 07 Brad Becomes Dad Pitt joins Jolie and Maddox on a trip to Ethiopia, where she adopts Zahara Marley, a newborn orphaned by AIDS. In December, Pitt will petition to adopt Zahara as well as Maddox, becoming the children's legal father and changing their last names to Jolie-Pitt.

2007

March 15 Pitt & Jolie Expand Family Jolie adopts 3-year-old Pax Thien from an orphanage outside Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Pitt is unable to accompany Jolie due to his filming schedule, but she brings 5-year-old Maddox and 2-year-old Zahara to welcome their new brother. She filed for adoption solo because Vietnamese law makes it difficult for unmarried couples to adopt, but in April, she asks a California court to change her newly adopted son's last name to Jolie-Pitt. Brad Pitt May 07 Beauty Inside & Out Pitt is named one of PEOPLE's Most Beautiful, headlining the issue's "Beauty Inside & Out" feature on humanitarianism with Jolie. "Being a father means being concerned about the plight of all children," he says, "especially the children who don't have the opportunities mine have." A week later, Pitt is named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World for "showing off his serious side" with producing projects like A Mighty Heart (starring Jolie) and the documentary God Grew Tired of Us. Brad Pitt August 21 Brad's New Orleans Green House Three months after breaking ground in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, Pitt returns to see the two-story, 1,400-sq.-ft., environmentally-friendly home he built with Global Green USA and the Home Depot foundation. "Katrina was a man-made disaster. This is a man-made solution," Pitt tells PEOPLE of the home he built for low-income victims of Hurricane Katrina. "I think we'll really improve quality of life. That's what I call a victory." 2008

July 12 The Jolie-Pitt Twins Adding to their brood (Maddox, Pax, Zahara, and Shiloh), Pitt and Jolie welcome twins, a boy, Knox Léon, and a girl, Vivienne Marcheline in Nice, France. Just hours after cutting the umbilical cords, Pitt tells the mayor of Nice, "I'm the happiest father ever." In August, the proud parents debut their twins on the cover of PEOPLE, where Pitt says, "[It's] still a cuckoo's nest." Brad Pitt December 25 One for the Ages With Cate Blanchett, Pitt stars in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, about a man who ages in reverse. The film rakes in $11.8 million opening day, making it the second-highest Christmas-opening of all-time. "It's a movie in the vein of the classics," says Pitt. "[It's a] classic epic, dealing with life and love, and all that fantastic stuff." His performance earns him Golden Globe, Oscar and SAG nominations for best lead actor. 2009

February Brad On Jen vs. Angie Pitt sets the record straight about the alleged rivalry between Aniston and Jolie in the February issue of W. "Listen, man, Jen is a sweetheart. I think she got dragged into that one," says Pitt about Aniston's "uncool" Vogue headline. On his hook-up with Jolie, Pitt explains, "We were still filming [Mrs. & Mrs. Smith] after Jen and I split up. Even then it doesn't mean that there was some kind of dastardly affair. There wasn't," adding, "I'm very proud of the way that it was handled. It was respectful." Brad Pitt August 21 Inglourious Basterds Inglorious Basterds tops the box office with a $37.6 million – the best opening of director Quentin Tarantino's career. Pitt, who plays Aldo "The Apache" Raine, the leader of a troop hunting Nazis, brought the spirit of his character home to his kids. "I'd tell those little 'basterds' to get out there and start scalpin'!" he told PEOPLE. 2011

September 23 Play Ball! Pitt returns to the big screen in Moneyball, a film adaptation of the best-selling book by Michael Lewis. The actor plays Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane in the baseball drama, alongside Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman. "It's shameful how little I know about baseball," Pitt, 47, tells Sports Illustrated of the film which earns him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. "I'm amazed they let me do this movie 2012

April 13 They're Engaged! Pitt, 48, and Jolie, 36, announce their engagement after the actress is spotted wearing a ring Pitt designed with jeweler Robert Procop. "It is a promise for the future and their kids are very happy," Pitt's manager tells PEOPLE. "There's no date set at this time." Brad Pitt October Making Scents Becoming the first male spokesperson for Chanel No. 5, the actor makes his debut for the fragrance line in two 30-second commercials, where he discusses his thoughts on love and longing. The first campaign garners 4 million YouTube views, along with a string of parodies, including a spoof on Saturday Night Live.