18 DECEMBER 2003
It's hard to believe that Hollywood uber hunk Brad Pitt hits the big four-oh this Thursday. Especially as, despite his graduation to veteran status, he retains the Greek god looks which boosted him to fame.

The actor, who is currently lensing the historic epic Troy, in which he plays Achilles, has come a long way from his Shawnee, Oklahoma, roots.

Once a choirboy, he traded jobs as a chauffer to strip-a-gram girls and a stint as a chicken – to promote a fast food restaurant – for a role in the US TV soap Dallas. From there it was just a short hop to his 1991 big break as the sexy cowboy hitchhiker in Thelma And Louise.

Unsurprisingly, given his Adonis-like appearance, women the world over were devastated when he tied the knot with Friends actress Jennifer Aniston in 2000. Before settling down, however, he had enjoyed the company of some of Tinseltown's most beautiful women including Gwyneth Paltrow and Juliette Lewis.

Following his Thelma excursion the tousled blond’s career went from strength to strength as he appeared in a string of popular flicks including Seven, Seven Years In Tibet, Snatch and Ocean's Eleven.

With the release of Troy, featuring a toned, bronzed, semi-naked Brad, scheduled for release in May next year, turning 40 is unlikely to dull his reputation as a heart-throb in the slightest.