Brad Pitt’s Net Worth Shows He’s a True Movie Star

With a $400 million net worth, Brad Pitt is one of Hollywood's few consistently bankable actors.

With a $400 million net worth, Brad Pitt is one of Hollywood’s last true movie stars. While he’s talked of retirement, he currently has a slate of projects before him that will undoubtedly add to his already massive bank account.

His next film comes from Apple Studios. This yet-to-be titled movie is about a Formula One race car driver who comes out of retirement to mentor someone younger. It will only add to an already extensive list of films that continue to make Brad Pitt one of the most bankable stars in the industry.

Pitt’s Early Life in Missouri

KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / AP Photo

Brad Pitt was born into an upper-middle-class family on Dec. 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, but spent his childhood in Springfield, Missouri. He studied journalism at the University of Missouri with the intention of working in advertising, but he couldn’t ignore his love of film.

With just two credits left for a college degree, he decided to leave Missouri for good and took a chance on Hollywood.

Working in Hollywood … as a Chicken

ElPolloLoco / Facebook

Upon his arrival in Los Angeles, Pitt didn’t exactly take the industry by storm. In fact, he paid his dues in a chicken suit.

During an interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Pitt revealed that he dressed as the El Pollo Loco chicken mascot for the restaurant chain’s store opening on Sunset and La Brea in Hollywood. He said that he felt “no shame” in wearing the costume because “a man’s gotta eat.”

As the Pollo Loco chicken, he had to wave to passers-by and admitted that he was “flipped off a lot.”

‘Thelma and Louise’ Was His First Big Break

Brad Pii and Juliette Lewis at 1992 Oscars

DOUG PIZAC / AP Photo

In the late 1980s, Pitt took blink-and-you’ll-miss-them film roles and guest spots on TV shows, just to get his foot in the door. “I landed [in L.A.] and went straight to McDonald’s. I got a newspaper. I had $275 to my name, and I saw in the paper that you could sign up for work as an extra, so I signed up for three places.”

It was his seven minutes of screen time in “Thelma and Louise” in 1991 that gave him his first big break. Even though he made only $6,000 for the performance, it cemented his star power in Hollywood. When he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2020 for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” he thanked his “Thelma and Louise” co-star Geena Davis.

A String of Hit Moves in the 1990s and 2000s Added to His Wallet

FRANCESCO PROIETTI / AP Photo

After “Thelma and Louise,” Pitt’s rise to the top was a meteoric trajectory. He earned $4 million for “Se7en” in 1995, and a year later, he got a $10 million paycheck for “Sleepers.” By the end of the decade, Pitt was raking in about $18 million per picture.

And by the time the early 2000s arrived, Pitt’s fee jumped up to at least $20 million per role. In 2022, he’s one of a few stars that commands about $25 million per role.

Pitt’s Production Company and Award-Winning Films

ISS Downlink with Actor Brad Pitt for Ad Astra

NASA/Joel Kowsky / Wikimedia Commons

He and ex-wife Jennifer Aniston started the production company Plan B, which is behind a string of successful films including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “The Departed,” “Eat, Pray, Love” and “Moneyball.”

The company also produced the Oscar-winning “12 Years a Slave” as well as “Selma,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Moonlight, “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and “Ad Astra,” starring Pitt himself.

After their divorce in 2005, Pitt become the sole owner of Plan B after buying out Aniston’s stake in the company.

Pitt’s Vast Real Estate Portfolio

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Brad Pitt’s real estate is worth about $100 million. He owns a compound with several homes in the Hollywood Hills, which measures about 2 acres and has a pool, tennis court and skate park.

He also owns an oceanfront estate in Goleta, near Santa Barbara, on 12 acres of property. Over the decades, he has also owned homes in Malibu and in the south of France with ex-wives Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie.

His most recent find is a $40 million estate in Carmel, California. The D.L. James House is a historic home overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was built in 1918 by Charles Greene, one of the two brothers also responsible for the iconic Gamble House in Pasadena, California.

Working as a Brand Ambassador

De’Longhi North America / YouTube

Pitt has been an ambassador for high-profile brands throughout his career. He’s been a spokesman, model and commercial actor for Cadillac, Chanel, Edwin Jeans, Honda, Heineken, SoftBank, TAG Heuer watches and Brioni menswear. His most recent ambassadorship is with DeLonghi kitchen appliances.

Brands pay top dollar for star power like Pitt’s. He was paid $3 million for appearing in Cadillac commercials (that aired only in China) and $7 million for appearing in just one Chanel commercial.

A Well-Deserved Oscar and Possible Retirement

ANDREW COOPER / Sony Pictures

After winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor playing Cliff Booth in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Pitt mused about his future in the film business. He’s been nominated for Oscars several times before but has finally fulfilled that lifelong dream.

So, where does he go from here? In a recent “GQ” interview, he said, “I consider myself on my last leg, this last semester or trimester. What is this section gonna be? And how do I wanna design that?”

While on the red carpet for “Bullet Train,” he took back some of those remarks, stating that he was not retiring but acknowledging his age. “I was just saying, ‘I’m past middle age, and I want to be specific about how I spend those last things however they may be.’ I’ve never been a five-year plan kind of guy … I’m just, whatever feels right for the day. I still operate that way.”