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James Brolin
James Brolin 1974.JPG
Brolin in 1974
Born
Craig Kenneth Bruderlin

(1940-07-18) July 18, 1940 (age 84)
Other names
  • James M. Brolin
  • Craig J. Brolin
Education University High School
Alma mater Santa Monica City College
University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation Actor
Years active 1960–present
Spouse(s)
  • Jane Cameron Agee
    (m. 1966; div. 1984)
  • Jan Smithers
    (m. 1986; div. 1995)
  • (m. 1998)
Children 3, including Josh
Relatives Eden Brolin (granddaughter)
Awards Hollywood Walk of Fame

James Brolin (born Craig Kenneth Bruderlin on July 18, 1940) is a famous American actor. He has won several important awards for his acting. These include two Golden Globes and an Emmy. He also has a special star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This star was given to him on August 27, 1998.

James Brolin is well-known for his roles in many TV shows and movies. On TV, he played Steven Kiley in Marcus Welby, M.D. and Peter McDermott in Hotel. He was also John Short in Life in Pieces and the Narrator in Sweet Tooth. In movies, he starred as Sgt. Jerome K. Weber in Skyjacked and John Blane in Westworld. He also played General Ralph Landry in Traffic and Jack Barnes in Catch Me If You Can. More recently, he was the voice of Emperor Zurg in the 2022 Toy Story spin-off movie Lightyear. James Brolin is the father of actor Josh Brolin and is married to the famous singer and actress Barbra Streisand.

About James Brolin

Early Life and Interests

James Brolin was born in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California. His birth name was Craig Kenneth Bruderlin. He was the oldest of four children. His mother, Helen Sue, was a housewife. His father, Henry Hurst Bruderlin, was a building contractor.

When he was a young boy, James loved animals. He also enjoyed building and flying model airplanes. He started this hobby when he was 10 years old. As a teenager in the 1950s, he was very interested in the actor James Dean. He even started making his own movies using an 8 mm film camera.

One day, his parents invited a director to their home. This was before an audition. There, James met another young actor named Ryan O'Neal. Ryan was a classmate and a bit younger than James. They became good friends. Both of them later went to University High School in West Los Angeles.

At first, James was very shy about acting. But his confidence grew when Ryan invited him to a casting agency. James finished high school in 1958. His family encouraged him to become an actor, just like his friend Ryan.

Starting His Acting Career

After high school, James Brolin went to Santa Monica City College. He also studied drama at the University of California Los Angeles. In 1960, he signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. He began his career by appearing in movies with actress Sandra Dee.

In 1961, James appeared in an episode of the TV show Bus Stop. This led to more roles in other TV shows. These included Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Love, American Style. He also made three guest appearances on the popular 1960s series Batman. He worked alongside actors Adam West and Burt Ward on that show.

When he was 20, he changed his last name from "Bruderlin" to "Brolin". This is how he became known as James Brolin. While trying to make it big in Hollywood, he met actor Clint Eastwood. James also had small parts in several films. These included Take Her, She's Mine (1963) and Fantastic Voyage (1966). His first major role was in The Cape Town Affair (1967). However, this movie was not very successful. After this, 20th Century Fox ended his contract.

In 1969, his career took a big turn. He co-starred in the TV series Marcus Welby, M.D., playing a doctor.

Becoming a Movie Star

In the 1970s, James Brolin was a tall actor, standing at 6 feet 4 inches. He started getting lead roles in movies. Some of these films were Skyjacked (1972) and Westworld (1973). By the mid-1970s, he was a regular leading man in Hollywood.

He starred in movies like Gable and Lombard (1976) and The Car (1977). He also appeared in Capricorn One (1978) and The Amityville Horror (1979).

There was a time when James Brolin almost became James Bond. He did screen tests for the movie Octopussy (1983). It was said that he was about to move to London for the role. But then, the producers convinced Roger Moore to continue playing James Bond.

In 1985, James Brolin made fun of this near-miss in the movie Pee-wee's Big Adventure. In a movie shown within that film, Brolin played a character who was a mix of James Bond and Pee-wee Herman.

Success on Television

James Brolin Kiley Marcus Welby 1969
Brolin as Steven Kiley
in Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969)

While working for Fox, James Brolin had three small roles on the TV series Batman.

In 1968, Brolin moved to Universal Studios. He auditioned for a role in the popular medical drama Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–1976). He co-starred with experienced actor Robert Young. This show became one of the most watched TV shows of its time. Brolin became very famous for playing Dr. Steven Kiley, a young and skilled assistant doctor. The actors worked well together. The show was also popular with young women who were interested in medicine.

In 1970, for his work on Marcus Welby, M.D., James Brolin won an Emmy Award. He was nominated three more times for this award. He also won two Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor between 1971 and 1973.

In 1983, Brolin returned to television. He starred in another series called Hotel for ABC. In Hotel, Brolin played Peter McDermott, a hotel manager. He was nominated for two more Golden Globes for this role. He also started directing episodes of the show. Hotel ran for five seasons and ended in 1988.

Actress Connie Sellecca, who worked with Brolin on Hotel, said they felt comfortable working together. She mentioned that Jim makes women feel safe. She also said it was a wonderful experience to work with him. They remained good friends after the show ended.

In 1997, Brolin found success again with the TV series Pensacola: Wings of Gold. He played Lt. Col. Bill "Raven" Kelly. His character trained young Marines. Brolin was also an executive producer and director for this series. The show ran for 66 episodes.

That same year, Brolin hosted Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. This TV show presented five stories about strange and supernatural events. He also guest-starred on the show Roseanne.

Recent Roles

Since the year 2000, James Brolin has continued to appear in many major movies. He played General Ralph Landry in Traffic (2000). He was also Jack Barnes in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002). Other roles include Robert Hatch in The Alibi (2006) and Brian in Last Chance Harvey (2008).

In 2002, Brolin played Governor Robert Ritchie on the TV series The West Wing. In 2003, he played Ronald Reagan in the TV movie The Reagans. This role earned him another Emmy and Golden Globe nomination.

He also guest-starred on TV shows like Monk (2005) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2008). In 2009, he appeared in an episode of Psych. This episode was a funny tribute to his earlier movie Westworld.

From 2015 to 2019, he played John Short, the family dad, in the CBS comedy Life in Pieces. In 2022, he took on his first voice acting role. He voiced Emperor Zurg in the Toy Story spin-off movie Lightyear.

Personal Life

Barbra Streisand and James Brolin
Brolin with Barbra Streisand (2013)

James Brolin has been married three times and has three children.

In 1966, he married Jane Cameron Agee. She was a wildlife activist. They had two children, Josh (born 1968) and a daughter (born 1972). Their marriage ended in 1984. Jane passed away in a car accident in 1995.

In the late 1970s, James Brolin also had a successful hobby in sports car racing. He competed in several celebrity car races. In 1979, he raced in the 24 Hours Nürburgring. His team finished first and second in their class.

In 1985, Brolin met actress Jan Smithers while working on the show Hotel. They married in 1986 and had a daughter in 1987. Their marriage ended in 1995.

In 1996, James Brolin met the famous singer and actress Barbra Streisand through a friend. They married on July 1, 1998. They live in Malibu, California. James Brolin is the stepfather to Barbra Streisand's son, Jason Gould.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1963 Take Her, She's Mine Mel Uncredited
1965 Dear Brigitte Student
Von Ryan's Express Private Ames
1966 Our Man Flint GALAXY technician Uncredited
Fantastic Voyage Technician
1967 The Cape Town Affair Skip McCoy
1968 The Boston Strangler Detective Sgt. Phil Lisi
1972 Skyjacked Sgt. Jerome K. Weber
1973 Westworld John Blane
1976 Gable and Lombard Clark Gable
1977 The Car Captain Wade Parent
Capricorn One Colonel Charles Brubaker
1979 The Amityville Horror George Lutz
1980 Night of the Juggler Sean Boyd
1981 High Risk Stone
1985 Pee-wee's Big Adventure P.W. Herman Cameo appearance
1987 Deep Dark Secrets Michael Wakefield
1989 Voice of the Heart Victor Mason
1990 Bad Jim B. D. Sweetman
1991 Ted & Venus Max Waters
1992 Gas Food Lodging John Evans
1993 Paper Hearts Henry
1994 The Visual Bible: Acts Simon Peter
1997 My Brother's War John Hall Also director
1998 A Marriage of Convenience Manson
2000 Traffic General Ralph Landry
2002 Catch Me If You Can Jack Barnes
The Master of Disguise Fabbrizio Disguisey
2003 A Guy Thing Ken Cooper
2006 The Alibi Robert Hatch
2007 The American Standards Jack Jennings
The Hunting Party Franklin Harris
Bad Girl Island Terry Bamba
2008 Last Chance Harvey Brian
2009 The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard Ben Selleck
Bitter/Sweet Calvert Jenkins
2010 Burlesque Mr. Anderson
Standing Ovation Also producer
2011 Last Will Det. Sloan
A Fonder Heart Craig
Love, Wedding, Marriage Bradley
2014 Elsa & Fred Max Hayes
2015 Accidental Love Senator Bramen
The Steps Ed
The 33 Jeff Hart
Sisters Bucky Ellis
2019 Being Rose Max
2022 Lightyear Zurg / Old Buzz Lightyear Voice

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1961 Follow the Sun Teenager Episode: "The Highest Wall"
Bus Stop Unknown Episode: "The Resurrection of Annie Ahearn"
1962 Margie Freddie Coates Episode: "Madame President"
1964–1965 Valentine's Day Harry / Charles "Charlie" Falwell Jr. Episodes: "The Seasick Sailor" and "Two Weeks with Pay"
1965 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Spencer Episode: "The Saboteur"
The Patty Duke Show Hank Episode: "Patty Meets the Great Outdoors"
Daniel Boone Member of the Lost Colony, Mark Episode: "The Lost Colony"
1966–1967 The Monroes Dalton Wales 4 episodes
Batman Various 3 episodes
1969 The Virginian Ned Trumbull Episode: "Crime Wave in Buffalo Springs"
1969–1976 Marcus Welby, M.D. Steven Kiley 172 episodes
1972 Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law Zack Jamison Episode: "Shine a Light on Me"
1973 Trapped Chuck Brenner Television movie
1974 Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law Steven Kiley Episode: "I've Promised You a Father, Part 2"
1978 Steel Cowboy Clayton Ray Dennis Television movie
1982 The Ambush Murders Paul Marshall
Mae West Jim Timony
1983 White Water Rebels Mike McKay
Cowboy Ward McNally
1983–1988 Hotel Peter McDermott 115 episodes
1986–1987 Hold the Dream Ross Nelson TV mini series
1989 Finish Line Martin Shrevelow Television movie
1990 Nightmare on the 13th Floor Alan Lanier
The Earth Day Special Doctor Television special
1991 And the Sea Will Tell Mac Graham Television movie
1992 City Boy Tom McLean
1993 Gunsmoke: The Long Ride John Parsley
Visions of Murder Hal
1994 A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Grimacing Governor Governor Ryan Allison
Parallel Lives Nick Dimas
1995 Extreme Reese Wheeler 7 episodes
1996 Hart to Hart: Harts in High Season Elliot Television movie
1997 Roseanne Edgar Wellman, Jr. 2 episodes
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction Host 6 episodes
1997–2000 Pensacola: Wings of Gold Lt. Colonel Bill Kelly 66 episodes
1998 A Marriage of Convenience Mason Whitney Television movie
2002 The West Wing Governor Robert Ritchie 2 episodes
2003 The Reagans Ronald Reagan Television movie
2005 Monk Daniel Thorn Episode: "Mr. Monk Goes to Vegas"
Widow on the Hill Hank Cavanaugh Television movie
2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Colonel Richard Finley Episode: "Lunacy"
Lost City Raiders John Kubiak Television movie
2009 Psych Sheriff Hank Mendel Episode: "High Noon-ish"
2010 Blackout Terrance Danfield 3 episodes
2013–2016 Castle Jackson Hunt 2 episodes
2013 Community William Winger Episode: "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations"
Christmas with Tucker Bo McCray Television movie
2014 When Calls the Heart Circuit Judge Jedidiah Black Episode: "Prelude to a Kiss"
2015–2019 Life in Pieces John Short 79 episodes
2016 I'll Be Home For Christmas Jack Foster Television movie (also executive producer & director)
2017 Royal Hearts Hank Pavlik Television movie (also director)
2021–2024 Sweet Tooth Narrator (Older Gus) Voice; Netflix TV series

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: James Brolin para niños

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