All About Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Middle Son

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s son Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt has a passion for the arts, just like his parents.

Despite growing up with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars as his mom and dad, the former couple’s middle son is pursuing work behind the lens.

“None of my children want to be actors,” Jolie told BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour in 2016. “I think they like the process of film from the outside.”

Pax has been exposed to the industry since he was adopted by Jolie and Pitt in the early 2000s. His youth included attending red carpet events with his parents such as the 2018 Golden Globes and the world premiere of Jolie’s 2019 film Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

“It’s a part of their life. But it’s not important to them and a center of their lives in a way that’s unhealthy. It’s all fun,” Jolie told Extra in 2019 of letting her kids see all facets of her career.

Although Pax mainly lives his life out of the spotlight, he and Jolie have collaborated together and share a tight-knit bond. “I schedule individual time with each of the kids like a crazy person. I know what I’m doing with my boys tonight,” she told Vogue in 2015.

From his childhood to his hobbies, here’s everything to know about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s son, Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt.

He was born in 2003 in Vietnam

Pax was born in Vietnam on Nov. 29, 2003. He spent his early years at the Tam Binh Orphanage just outside of Ho Chi Minh City.

“We travel often to Asia, Africa, Europe, where they were born,” Jolie told Vogue of her children’s birthplaces.

She went on, getting specific about Pax and his brother Maddox’s heritage: “The boys know they’re from Southeast Asia, and they have their food and their music and their friends, and they have a pride particular to them.”

He was adopted in 2007

Jolie adopted Pax in 2007 after he spent three years in the Tam Binh Orphanage. As regulations in Vietnam made it difficult for unmarried couples to adopt together, Pitt later formally adopted their son in 2008.

At the time, Pax joined his older brother Maddox and his two younger sisters, Shiloh and Zahara. Jolie told MSN that Pax was a “tough, remarkable little person,” as he adjusted to life with his new family.

“He spent 3 1/2 years of his life in one place, in one room, in this one little iron bed with 20 other kids, and having no choice for himself to do things, having no freedom,” the actress said. “And suddenly, here he is in a very free situation with new brothers and sisters and a mom and dad. He’s learning English and he’s so loving and he’s wild and free ’cause he suddenly has freedom.”

He returned to his hometown in 2011

Four years after he was adopted, Pax and the Jolie-Pitt crew made their way back to visit his hometown.

“We owe Vietnam a visit, because Pax is due,” Jolie told the Financial Times in 2011. “They are all learning about each other’s cultures as well as being proud of their own. They all have their flags over their beds and their individual pride.”

He has five siblings

Pax grew up as one of six children alongside his sisters Zahara, Shiloh and Vivienne and brothers Maddox and Knox.

“They’re six very strong-minded, thoughtful, worldly individuals. I’m very proud of them,” Jolie told Vanity Fair in 2017.

The Mr. and Mrs. Smith star also told WSJ. Magazine in 2023 that her kids are her priority. “They are the closest people to me and my life, and they’re my close friends,” she said. “We’re seven very different people, which is our strength.”

He has worked alongside his famous mom

While Pax lives a life mostly out of the spotlight, he’s worked on several projects with his famous mom.

He made a cameo in Jolie’s 2014 film Maleficent, voiced the character Yoo in his mom’s 2016 film Kung Fu Panda 3, assisted her along with Maddox on First They Killed My Father and worked in the assistant director department on Without Blood, a film Jolie directed.

“We work well together,” the mom of six told PEOPLE in 2022. “When a film crew is at its best, it feels like a big family, so it felt natural.”

He is interested in music

When he’s not working in film, Pax has found another creative outlet to express himself: music.

“They are actually very interested in being musicians,” Jolie said on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour about her children. “Pax loves music and deejaying,” she added.

He has traveled the world

Pax’s childhood was filled with worldly travels as Jolie emphasized the importance of keeping her children connected to their roots and embracing their cultural traditions.

“I’m trying to raise them to have respect for all people and make friends around the world and feel at home with the world and really live a truly global — because I think it’s what forms them and it’s really important to me. And I make sure they do their math and their science, but that is the most important thing for me,” Jolie told NBC Los Angeles in 2011.