Who are Brad Pitt’s parents? All about actor’s family as he mourns mother Jane Pitt’s passing
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Brad Pitt with his parents, Jane and Willian, and three of his children (Image via Getty)Brad Pitt’s mother, Jane Etta Pitt, recently passed away at the age of 84, according to TMZ, which reported that Pitt’s niece confirmed the news in an emotional post on social media.
Brad Pitt was born to Jane and her husband, William Alvin Pitt, in 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Jane and William, who met at the Oklahoma Baptist University, married in 1962, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. The Pitt family first moved to Tulsa and later settled down in Springfield, Missouri.
William, Pitt’s father, headed a trucking company, and Jane was a school counsellor, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Pitt, the oldest son of Jane and William, has two other siblings, a brother named Doug and sister named Julie, who were born in 1966 and 1969 respectively, as per People Magazine.
Brad Pitt on his family life
Brad Pitt has often spoken candidly about the milieu that he grew up in. Describing how his upbringing influenced him, Pitt told The New York Times,
“I grew up with that be-capable, be-strong, don’t-show-weakness thing.”
Pitt shared that his father, who did not grow up with much, always worked hard to provide for his family. While revealing how his father’s attitude impacted his own mindset, Pitt added,
“In some ways, I’m copying him. He had grown up in extreme hardship and poverty, always dead set on giving me a better life than he had — and he did it. But he came from that stoic ilk…I’m grateful that there was such an emphasis on being capable and doing things on your own with humility.”
Pitt often played sports while growing up. During a conversation with Parade, he said,
“I played basketball more than baseball. And we had football games in the backyard or in the field behind our house.”
Recounting an incident during his childhood when he got injured, Pitt, while showing a scar on his face, said,
“My relationship with baseball was having a pop fly at high noon in center field bounce off my cheekbone, in upper elementary school. And I still threw the guy out at second. The guy said, ‘Oh, you’re bleeding.’ I got 18 stitches, and my mom was crying. That’s the scar.”
During the same interview, he delved into the things that he learned from his father and stated,
“My dad worked five and a half, six days a week, and then he would take us fishing. He’d do that all weekend, then start work again. I have immense appreciation for that now that I’m a parent, knowing what you have to do to carve out time for your kids. I know how taxing that was on him.”
Back in 2012, Pitt’s mother Jane received flak for a contentious letter she penned in a local newspaper. At the time, Pitt wholeheartedly defended her and, while describing her personality, said,
“She’s very, very loving — very open, genuine, and it’s hilarious because she always gets painted in the tabloids as a she-devil. There’s not an ounce of malice in her. She wants everyone to be happy.”
While promoting his recent release F1 in June, Pitt appeared on the Today show, and paid a heartfelt tribute to his mom, who he said is a fan of Today’s Savannah Guthrie. As per Daily Mail, Pitt said,
“I've got to say hi to my mom because she watches you every morning. To Jane Pitt. Love you, Mom.”
The news outlet noted that the actor then waved and blew a kiss to his mother through the camera.
Jane Pitt’s legacy will live on through the efforts of her three children, who came together in 2009 and donated $1 million to a Missouri hospital to open its paediatric cancer center, which was named the Jane Pitt Pediatric Cancer Center, as per CBS.