Brad Pitt says his family makes him "the richest man alive".

The 49-year-old actor has six children - Maddox, 11, Pax, nine, Zahara, eight, Shiloh, six, and four-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne - with his fiancée Angelina Jolie says being a father has changed everything about his life and enriched it in so many ways.

He said: "You learn to value the basic beauty of family, of watching your children grow and evolve. Being a father has changed me on so many levels and made me more generous and alive.

"I see my children as a basic part of my life and it means so much to me to educate them and help them make their way in the world.

"I love being a father and all the responsibilities it entails. I feel like the richest man alive since I've become a father."

Pitt has also praised his own parents, Jane and William, for their influence on his life and the way they raised him.

He added: "My attitude is pretty much shaped by the way my own parents raised me and my brother and sister. I feel that I was able to grow up with a good perspective and a good common-sense understanding of the world."

The Hollywood hunk's latest film is the apocalyptic horror movie 'World War Z' - which he co-produced and stars in - and he is adamant the underlying message in the film is about protecting your family, despite all the killer zombies.

He is quoted by the Daily Mirror newspaper as saying: "It's saying that you have to do what it takes to protect your family. It's saying that you have to be prepared to take up a challenge at such a fundamental level of survival."