Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: a verified timeline of their relationship and collaborations

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie first collaborated professionally in 2005 on the war film Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a glossy action-comedy that paired two of Hollywood’s biggest stars and became a global box office hit. Their personal relationship developed in parallel with a series of high-profile joint projects, including the acclaimed war drama In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011), which Jolie wrote, directed, and produced. Together they founded the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, channeling resources into humanitarian relief and refugee advocacy. This overview tracks their professional collaborations, public milestones, and eventual separation with verified dates, project roles, and outcomes.

Early encounters and first collaboration: Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005–2006)

Before their relationship became widely public, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie worked together on Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), a high-budget action comedy directed by Doug Liman. The project marked Jolie’s return to big-studio fare after the Lara Croft series and paired her opposite Pitt in a story about a bored married couple who discover they are assassins. The film earned more than $477 million worldwide and re-energized both careers. Production spanned early 2005 in locations including Berlin and New York, and the movie’s success demonstrated their on-screen chemistry to global audiences.

Key facts about Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Humanitarian work and the Jolie-Pitt Foundation (2009–2017)

Jolie’s field visits as a UNHCR Special Envoy began in the early 2000s, long before her public relationship with Pitt. Their joint philanthropic efforts accelerated after 2009, when they formed the Jolie-Pitt Foundation to coordinate donations and hands-on relief. They traveled together to refugee camps in places like Chad, Kenya, and Syria, highlighting displacement and conflict-related emergencies. Jolie’s filmmaking increasingly focused on humanitarian crises, with In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011) serving as a direct product of her field experiences and advocacy. The foundation supported organizations providing food, shelter, legal aid, and education to displaced populations.

Notable joint humanitarian milestones

• 2011: Jolie writes, directs, and produces In the Land of Blood and Honey, a drama about wartime sexual violence in Bosnia.
• 2011–2017: Repeated field visits with refugee organizations and media attention for displaced populations in Africa and the Middle East.
• 2014: The Jolie-Pitt Foundation makes multi-year commitments to groups working on refugee education and resettlement.

Family milestones and public timeline (2006–2016)

While their professional collaborations were visible, much of their family life remained closely guarded. Public records and widely reported milestones show a rapid transition from co-parenting to legal parenthood and, eventually, to separation. Below are key dates and events that capture the arc of their family-building journey.

Relationship and family timeline

Joint film projects beyond Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Outside of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Pitt and Jolie worked together on a handful of notable productions. By the Sea (2015) was written by, directed by, and starred both; it was also produced by Jolie and financed by the French studio director Timur Bekmambetov. The drama was screened at the 2015 AFI Fest and marked one of their rare non-action pairings. Jolie’s Unbroken (2014), which Pitt’s production company Plan B Entertainment supported, is another example of professional overlap even though she directed and he starred in a producing role. These projects reveal both alignment and divergence in their creative priorities.

Shared-screen and produced projects

Separation, divorce, and ongoing co-parenting (2016–present)

In September 2016, Jolie and Pitt issued a joint statement confirming their separation, attributing it to growing apart and the strain of intense public attention. The legal process moved through multiple jurisdictions, reflecting the complexity of their assets and international presence. Jolie filed for divorce in April 2019; by 2021, the divorce was finalized in a French court. Both have continued to prioritize their children’s well-being and have committed to cooperative co-parenting. Public commentary on the split has largely centered on their effort to shield their family from media intrusion while fulfilling professional obligations.

Legacy and collaborative footprint

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie remain two of the most influential figures in 21st-century entertainment. Their collaborations—commercial and humanitarian—reshaped conversations around celebrity activism and high-profile philanthropy. While their personal relationship ended, their shared work, including landmark films and sustained relief efforts, continues to influence industry standards around star-driven humanitarian engagement and responsible production. Future assessments will likely focus on how their joint ventures advanced both storytelling and on-the-ground aid.