Brad Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to Southern Baptist parents William A. Pitt and Jane Etta Hillhouse. He and his two siblings, Doug Pitt and Julie Neal Pitt, grew up in Springfield, Missouri, where the family moved soon after his birth. Pitt's parents and siblings still live in Springfield. Brad Pitt is of English ancestry.

At Kickapoo High School, Pitt was involved in sports, debating, student government, and school musicals. He attended the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri - Columbia where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He was two credits shy of graduating with a journalism degree in 1986 when he left to try his luck in Hollywood. According to one of his former advertising professors at MU, Pitt was working on an independent project that was a calendar called "The Men of Mizzou." He was the creative director for the entire project, but it was never completed and ultimately prevented him from earning his degree.

His choice of career was something of a surprise to those around him. Pitt had acted in several fraternity shows, but never really revealed a desire to act professionally. Pitt seemed to show more promise in music. But then suddenly, with no real experience behind him, he simply took off for California with just $325 in his pockets.