Craig Kenneth Bruderlin, known professionally as James Brolin, is an American actor, director, and producer. He was born on July 18, 1940 in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California. Brolin has won two Golden Globes and an Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 27, 1998. Brolin is the father of actor Josh Brolin and the husband of Barbra Streisand.
Brolin was an aeronautical engineering major at Santa Monica Junior College, but when he transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles, he also changed his major to theater arts. He continued his study at the Film Industry Workshop, at a Hollywood Drama School and under four major drama coaches. Finally spotted by a director for 20th Century Fox, he was placed under contract and appeared in several TV roles before the studio, in an economy move, released its contract players. Brolin joined his father's construction firm. He continued to study acting and did occasional TV guest shots and commercials, but it wasn't until three years later that he returned to Fox in meatier roles.
Brolin is best known for his TV roles such as Steven Kiley on Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–1976), Peter McDermott on Hotel (1983–1988), John Short on Life in Pieces (2015–2019), and the Narrator on Sweet Tooth (2021–2024), as well as his film roles such as Sgt. Jerome K. Weber in Skyjacked (1972), John Blane in Westworld (1973), General Ralph Landry in Traffic (2000), Jack Barnes in Catch Me If You Can (2002), and Emperor Zurg in the 2022 Toy Story spin-off film Lightyear.
