Josh "James" Brolin, was born February 12, 1968 in the southern California city of Santa Monica. His mother, Jane Cameron Agee, is a wildlife activist originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, and his father is acclaimed actor James Brolin. He was raised on a California ranch and was purposely kept out of the spotlight of his father's extensive acting career. When he was 18, his parents divorced, and his stepmother by his father's current marriage is legendary singer/actress Barbra Streisand. Brolin discovered his love of acting after an improv acting class in high school peaked his interest, and he proved to be a natural.
Career[]
Brolin started his career in TV movies and guest spots on TV shows before getting a more notable role as Brandon Walsh in the 1985 movie "The Goonies." He was then offered the role of Tom Hanson in the series "21 Jump Street," which Johnny Depp ended up taking, but he turned it down to star in the series "Private Eye," which in contrast lasted only half a season. Brolin ended up guest-starring in an episode of "21 Jump Street" in its first season.
Brolin has implied that after the premiere of his second film, "Thrashin'," he turned away from film acting for years as a result of what he considered "horrendous" acting on his part. For many years, he appeared on stage in Rochester, New York, often alongside mentor and friend Anthony Zerbe. One of Brolin's more notable roles early in his career was that of Wild Bill Hickok in the ABC TV series "The Young Riders," which ran for three seasons, ending in 1992. He was also involved in the 1994 Aaron Spelling production "Winnetka Road" and later "Mister Sterling," however both were canceled just a few episodes into their seasons.
Brolin's film work tends to consist mainly of supporting, antagonistic roles. His recent film work includes a supporting part in the "Planet Terror" segment of the Tarantino/Rodriguez collaboration "Grindhouse," and his role as Llewelyn Moss - the main target of Javier Bardem's unstoppable hitman character in the Coen brothers' 2007 Academy Award-winning "No Country for Old Men." Later that year his role as Detective Trupo 2007's "American Gangster" was his biggest box office success to date as it grossed over $265million worldwide.
Most recently, in 2008 Brolin was the assassin of Sean Penn's title character in the critically acclaimed film "Milk." That same year, Brolin also starred in Oliver Stone's film "W.," a biopic about pivotal events in the life of former U.S. President George W. Bush. Brolin was initially hesitant to accept the role, but director Oliver Stone said of his decision to cast Brolin in the leading role:
"It always seemed to me that he was the right person. Although classically handsome, I think he would consider himself a character actor first and foremost, and it was in this context that I thought of him as W. Josh certainly has star appeal and could be a leading man, but I don’t think he necessarily wants to be that. I think he really enjoys disappearing into a character."
Brolin has been cast in the role of the title character in the upcoming "Jonah Hex," and is rumored as being considered for the role of Snake Plissken in the remake of "Escape from New York." Other current projects include an as-yet-unknown role in Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger," as well as roles as Bretton James in Oliver Stone's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" (a sequel to the 1987 Academy Award-winning film Wall Street), and Tom Chaney in the upcoming remake of the 1969 novel-adapted film "True Grit" (which starred John Wayne).
Brolin is an active stock trader and is co-founder of the website MarketProbability.com.
Movie Listing[]
| Year | Movie | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Goonies | Brandon Walsh |
| 1986 | Thrashin' | Corey Webster |
| 1996 | Bed of Roses | Danny |
| Flirting with Disaster | Tony Kent | |
| 1997 | Mimic | Josh |
| Nightwatch | James Gallman | |
| 1999 | The Mod Squad | Billy Waites |
| Best Laid Plans | Bryce | |
| It's the Rage | Tennel | |
| 2000 | Picnic (TV) | Hal Carter |
| Hollow Man | Matt Kensington | |
| Slow Burn | Duster | |
| 2005 | Melinda and Melinda | Greg Earlinger |
| Into the West (TV) | Jedediah Smith | |
| Into the Blue | Derek Bates | |
| 2006 | The Dead Girl | Tarlow |
| 2007 | Grindhouse: Planet Terror | Dr. William Block |
| In the Valley of Elah | Chief Buchwald | |
| No Country for Old Men | Llewelyn Moss | |
| American Gangster | Det. Trupo | |
| 2008 | W. | George W. Bush |
| Milk | Dan White | |
| 2010 | Jonah Hex | Jonah Hex |
| You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger | ||
| Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps | Bretton James | |
| True Grit | Tom Chaney |