James Brolin
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
Brolin is a licensed pilot and breeds horses. He also has designed and built several homes, a restaurant and a bookstore.
Biography
With his 6'4" lanky frame, matinee-idol looks and calm and collected demeanor, James Brolin was the textbook-perfect leading man for TV, and his career in that medium has been extensive, including seven years as Dr. Steven Kiley on "Marcus Welby, M.D." (ABC, 1969-76) and five years as Peter McDemott, the general manager of "Hotel" (ABC, 1983-88).
Brolin was raised in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, not far from 20th Century Fox, the studio where he began in show business, first aspiring to be a cinematographer or director. But the studio soon put him under contract as an actor, and he made his debut in an episode of the TV series "Bus Stop" (ABC, 1961), and in a bit in the feature generational comedy "Take Her, She's Mine" (1963). He continued in small parts in Fox productions (including a recurring role on the 1966-67 ABC TV series "The Monroes" and as a private in the 1965 Frank Sinatra movie, "Von Ryan's Express") until 1967, when he got his first leading role opposite Jacqueline Bisset in a movie in "The Cape Town Affair," the remake of Sam Fuller's 1953 racially-charged "Pick-Up on South Street."
Brolin's feature career failed to ignite, and he moved to Universal Studios, where he was cast as Dr. Kiley, the highly-trained young physician who dreamed of a high-powered career but ended up sharing a practice with an aging but kindly general practitioner (Robert Young) in the 1969 TV-movie/pilot for "Marcus, Welby, M.D." Brolin won an Emmy for his work in 1970 and became a TV star. He was immediately cast in several TV-movies, including "Short Walk to Daylight" (ABC, 1972) and "Trapped" (ABC, 1973), the latter was the highest-rated TV-movie of that season, thanks in no small measure to Brolin's popularity.
Brolin attempted a feature film career after the demise of the series. It was hoped his big break would be as Clark Gable opposite Jill Clayburgh in "Gable and Lombard" (1976), but his work as "The King" failed to impress critics and did not meet the expectations of Gable's fans. Within a year, Brolin found himself in "The Car" (1977), as a cop battling an automobile possessed by the devil. In 1979, he was in another horror picture, "The Amityville Horror," as the terrorized head of the household. The film became the then-highest-grossing independent feature film to date. His subsequent big screen outings were generally dismissed by both audiences and critics (the exception was Allison Anders' 1992 "Gas Food Lodging").
In 1983, Brolin returned to series TV as Peter McDermott, the general manager of the fictional St. Gregory Hotel in San Francisco on "Hotel." While the ABC series was anthological in nature, McDermott did end up in a romance with his assistant, portrayed by Connie Sellecca. The series had a five-year run, during which Brolin directed many of the episodes. After it was canceled, Brolin hosted the syndicated reality series "Reunion" (1990), in which past loves found each other again. He followed with work on two short-lived series, the primetime soap "Angel Falls" (CBS, 1993) and "Extreme" (ABC, 1995), which had been described in the press as "'Baywatch' on skis." He returned to the small screen as star of the syndicated action series "Pensacola: Wings of Gold" in 1997.
Brolin has also to appear in longforms, including the 1991 CBS miniseries "And the Sea Will Tell," based on the book by attorney Vincent Bugliosi. Additionally, Brolin directed episodes of the ABC series "The Young Riders," which starred his son, Josh Brolin. The younger Brolin also appeared in his father's feature directorial debut, the direct-to-video release "My Brother's War" (1998), about the Irish Republican Army. Perhaps after rubbing elbows with his wife Barbra Streisand's A-List friends, Brolin's career heated up again. He played a small but important role in director Steven Soderberg's acclaimed ensemble drama "Traffic" (2000), and appeared as a businessman who gets in the middle of Leonardo DiCaprio's family in "Catch Me If You Can" (2002). He also played against type in wacky comedies, appearing as Dana Carvey super-spy dad in "Master of Disguise" (2002) and playing Selma Blair's shotgun-toting father in "A Guy Thing" (2003).
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1960
Put under contract by 20th Century Fox
1961
TV debut, episode of "Bus Stop"
1963
First film as actor "Take Her, She's Mine"
1966
First series as regular, "The Monroes"
1967
First starring role in film, "Capetown Affair"
1969
Played Dr. Steven Kiley on the ABC medical drama "Marcus Welby, M.D."; earned three Emmy nominations from 1971-1973 and a Golden Globe nomination in 1972 for Best Supporting Actor
1972
TV-movie debut, "Short Walk to Daylight"
1973
Starred in the highest-rated TV movie of season "Trapped"
1973
Starred in Michael Crichton feature "Westworld"
1976
Starred as Clark Gable in the feature biopic "Gable and Lombard"
1977
Starred in the thriller "Capricorn One"
1979
First feature box office success with Brolin in leading role, "The Amityville Horror"
1983
Cast as Peter McDermott, the manager of "Hotel" on the ABC series
1990
Hosted reality series "Reunion"
1990
Made TV miniseries debut in syndicated "Voice of the Heart"
1991
First network miniseries, "And the Sea Will Tell" (CBS)
1993
Executive produced and starred in feature film, "Cheatin' Hearts"
1993
Portrayed Luke Larson on the short-lived CBS series "Angel Falls"
1995
Returned to series TV as Reese Wheeler on the short-lived ABC series "Extreme"
1996
Starred in "California" a pilot for a potential spinoff of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"
1997
Hosted Fox series "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction?"
1997
Starred in the syndicated series "Pensacola: Wings of Gold"
1998
Feature directorial debut, "My Brother's War"; released direct-to-video
1998
Received star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (August 27)
2000
Had small role in Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic"
2002
Played a roguish businessman who interferes with Leonardo DiCaprio's family life in "Catch Me If You Can"
2002
Had a three episode stint on the NBC political series, "The West Wing"
2003
Played Selma Blair's father in the comedy "It's a Guy Thing"
2003
Played Ronald Reagan in the television movie "The Reagans"; the movie stirred up a lot of controversy and was moved from CBS to Showtime; received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Best Actor in a Miniseries
2006
Played the Governor of Maine, who in order to get re-elected, opposes the legalization of gay marriage, in the A&E movie, "Wedding Wars"
2008
Co-starred in romantic drama "The American Standards"
2009
Appeared on an episode of "Psych"
2012
Had a recurring guest role on "Blackout"
2013
Had recurring role of Jackson Hunt on "Castle"
2015
Began starring on "Life in Pieces"
2017
Co-starred with Cybill Shepherd in the drama "Being Rose"
2018
Directed TV movie "Royal Hearts"
Photo Collections
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Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Brolin is a licensed pilot and breeds horses. He also has designed and built several homes, a restaurant and a bookstore.
