Josh Brolin biography

Synopsis

Josh Brolin was born February 12, 1968, in Los Angeles, California. He made his film debut in The Goonies (1985). In 1987 he made his foray into series TV in Private Eye. He starred in another series, The Young Riders, which premiered in 1989. He had a career breakthrough in 1996 with his turn in the film Flirting with Disaster. More film roles soon followed. In 2003, he starred his own TV series.

Early Films

Actor. Born on February 12, 1968, in Los Angeles, California. The son of actor James Brolin and wildlife activist Jane Cameron Agee, Josh Brolin grew up in Paso Robles, California, a rural community focused on farming and raising horses. Brolin's parents divorced in the early 1980s, forcing him to spend time between their two households.

In high school, Brolin discovered his passion for acting. He made his film debut in The Goonies (1985), a family-oriented adventure flick. In addition to Brolin, the cast also featured other young up-and-coming performers, such as Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, and Martha Plimpton.

While his first film was quite popular, grossing more than $60 million at the box office, Brolin's second one left him wondering about his future in the business. He starred in the skateboarding action drama Thrashin' (1986). "I remember at the premiere of my second movie I started crying. I thought, I'm so bad that I either have to stop this and do something else or learn what I'm doing," Brolin later told Interview magazine.

Television Roles

Brolin moved to New York City and spent some time studying his craft and honing his skills in the theater. He and friend Anthony Zerbe started up a theater club in Rochester, New York. In 1987, Brolin made his first foray into series television. He co-starred opposite Michael Woods in the short-lived historical crime drama Private Eye. While the show didn't perform well, Brolin found happiness in his personal life. He married actress Deborah Adair in 1988, and they welcomed their first child together, son Trevor, that same year.

Brolin starred in the western television series, The Young Riders, which premiered in 1989. The show, co-directed by Brolin's father, explored the lives of a group of riders with the Pony Express. It featured young versions of such famous western figures as "Wild Bill" Hickok (played by Brolin) and Buffalo Bill Cody (played by Stephen Baldwin). The show went off the air in 1992–;the same year Brolin and his wife divorced. The couple, however, stayed together after the split and had another child: a daughter named Eden.

Returning to series television in 1994, Brolin appeared on the adult drama Winnetka Road, which was canceled after two months. He had a career breakthrough in 1996 with his turn as a gay cop in David O. Russell's comedy Flirting with Disaster. More film roles soon followed.

He appeared with Mira Sorvino in Guillermo del Toro's sci-fi horror film Mimic (1997) and with Ewan McGregor in the creepy morgue thriller Nightwatch (1998). Despite working steadily for years, box office success continued to elude the handsome actor.

Personal Life

Around this time, Brolin experienced some changes in his family. First, his mother died in a car accident in 1995. Three years later, his father married again, this time to the famed singer and actress Barbra Streisand. After dating for several years, Josh proposed to actress Minnie Driver in April 2001. They broke up a few months later.

In 2003, Brolin starred his own television series, the political drama Mister Sterling. He played the son of a former California governor who is selected to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. Unfortunately for Brolin, the series was canceled after two months on the air. He went on to land a small role in Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda (2004) as well as more substantial television parts, such as a leading role in 2005's Murder Book.

Around this time, Brolin decided to give marriage a second try. He wed actress Diane Lane in August of 2004. A few months later, the couple made headlines after Brolin was arrested for spousal battery. A spokesperson released a statement after the incident, saying that "There was a misunderstanding at their home" and the couple was "embarrassed the matter went this far." Lane declined to press charges, and the allegations were eventually dropped.

Star Turns

Brolin's profile started to rise in 2007. Working with director Roberto Rodriguez, he had a small role in the "Planet Terror" segment of the horror film, Grindhouse (2007). Brolin also appeared in the Iraq war drama In the Valley of Elah (2007), which starred Tommy Lee Jones as a father investigating the death of his soldier son. His role as a corrupt detective in American Gangster (2007) became another important part for Brolin.

Moving from supporting player to lead actor, Brolin co-starred with Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men (2007). He was thrilled for the opportunity to work with directors Ethan and Joel Coen. Describing the experience of landing his part to Interview magazine, Brolin said "it was basically as if your favorite musician were to call you up and say, 'Hey, man. I'd love to do a tour with you.' The Coens have been favorite filmmakers of mine since they started."

The dream role almost didn't come true. Riding his motorcycle to a wardrobe fitting, Brolin was involved in an accident, which left him with a broken collarbone. He was able to continue with the project despite his injury, and gave one of the strongest performances in his career. He earned wide praise for his portrayal of Llewelyn Moss, a cowboy who goes on the run after stumbling across the victims of a drug deal gone bad.

The following year, Brolin continued tackle challenging roles on the big screen. He starred in Oliver Stone's W., a biographical film about President George W. Bush.

Liberal in his own political leanings, Brolin worked hard on his portrayal of the former president. "I was blown away following the guy through the labyrinth of his life, the personal conviction he found once he stopped drinking and deepened his relationship with Jesus," he told the Los Angeles Times.

Recent Work

At the end of filming, however, Brolin found himself in legal hot water. Police arrested him, along with fellow W. actor Jeffrey Wright, after a bar brawl in Shreveport, Louisiana, on July 2008. The charges were later dropped. The film was released that fall, and critics roundly praised Brolin's performance. "Representing a man who finds both salvation in Jesus and relief that one of his intelligence reports is only three pages long, the actor digs deep," critic Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote in Entertainment Weekly.

Later that year, Brolin co-starred in the Gus Van Sant film, Milk, about activist Harvey Milk—one of the first openly gay individuals to be elected to public office. In the movie, Brolin plays a troubled San Francisco politician who interacts with Milk (played by Sean Penn). The film received rave reviews, and earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Brolin's first-ever nomination. He is up for a Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of Milk's adversary.

Brolin's career continued to soar in 2010. He starred in the film Jonah Hex, an adaptation of the DC Comics series, as well as in the critically acclaimed Western film, True Grit (2010).

Brolin was married to actress Alice Adair from 1988 to 1992; the couple had two children, Trevor and Eden, before their divorce. Brolin was briefly engaged to actress Minnie Driver before marrying actress Diane Lane on August 15, 2004.