James Brolin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Brolin
Brolin in 1974
Born	Craig Kenneth Bruderlin (1940-07-18) July 18, 1940 (age 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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)​ Barbra Streisand ​ (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

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

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

Television

See also

In Spanish: James Brolin para niños