His first celluloid appearance was in the TV show Dellaventura for a single episode in the year 1997 and he also played another single episode role in a TV show Law &Order in 1998. In the year 1998, he also appeared in movies such as Hi-Life and 54, for the latter he was never credited. He has also appeared in a play called The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek in the year 1999.

His major break came when he was cast in the TV show Dawson's Creek for 15 episodes during 1999-2000. He portrayed the role of Henry Parker. His performance was noted and earned him more opportunities. In the year 2001, he got an opportunity in the film adaptation of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in which he played the role of a transgender lover who is a rock star whose name is Hedwig. He played the role of Tommy Gnosis and his role was critically acclaimed. This also opened a door of more and better opportunities for Michael.

He further starred in many movies which were usually controversial, such as Bully, Funny Games and Murder by Numbers. But his most notable performance was in the film The Dreamers which was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. This movie was sent in Paris, France during the student riots which took place in the year 1968. He played the role of Matthew, who is an educated Californian student and is modest.

During an interview, Michael said that he liked to make controversial films. He had also emphasized that he chose roles which would be commercial block-busters instead he wanted more challenging roles and he wanted to make the audience think.

Lately, he has appeared in the TV Show Hannibal in the role of Mason Verger but only for a couple of episodes. He is a part of another popular TV show "Boardwalk Empire" in which he appeared as Jimmy Darmondy. He was in this show during 2010-2011. He was nominated and won many awards for his role. He appeared in 24 episodes. He received the prestigious Screen Actors Guild Award for his outstanding performance by an ensemble cast in a Drama Series. He also received the Online Film and Television Award under the same category. Though he acted in only a few episodes in Hannibal he was nominated for the role of best guest actor in Drama.

Apart from acting, he is also involved in Modeling and associated with Music. He has a band called Pagoda in which he was the singer as well as lead guitarist.

If we peek into his personal life, we understand that Michael is in a long term relationship with a model called Jamie Bochert. In 2005 he announced that he and Jamie were engaged. According to the latest reports they may have secretly married and it confirms that Jamie is Michael's wife. The net worth of Michael Pitt is roughly estimated to be around $4 Million.