James Brolin is an award-winning American actor who is known for his work in both film and television. Over a career that spans seven decades, the actor has become a very wealthy man. So, what is James Brolin’s net worth, and how did he become wealthy? Here is a look at James Brolin’s net worth and an overview of how he accrued his wealth.
Brolin's Early Life
James Brolin was born in Los Angeles, California, on July 18, 1940. His birth name is Craig Kenneth Bruderlin. He is the eldest of five children, as he has two younger brothers and two younger sisters.
The actor is not from a family involved in the entertainment industry, as his mother was a housewife and his father a building contractor. Brolin first became interested in the film industry as a teen during the mid-1950s and was particularly interested in James Dean.
His parents invited a director over for dinner, and he brought with him Ryan O’Neal, a young actor at that time. O’Neal and Brolin attended University Highs School together, and it was during this time that O’Neal invited Brolin to a casting agency. By the time Brolin graduated from high school, his parents were encouraging him to become an actor.
James Brolin’s Acting Career
Brolin began his career in the early 1960s when he had small roles in television series such as ‘Follow the Sun,’ ‘Bus Stop,’ and Margie.’ His other television roles throughout the 1960s were ‘Valentine’s Day,’ ‘Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,’ ‘The Patty Duke Show,’ ‘The Monroes,’ ‘Batman,’ and ‘The Virginian.’
The actor got his big break in television in 1969 when he landed the role of Steven Kiley in ‘Marcus Welby, M.D.’ Brolin played the role until 1976, when the series ended, appearing in a total of 176 episodes. He was nominated for various awards for the role, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor- Series, Miniseries, or Television Film and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Film Roles
In 1963, he landed his first film role when he played Mel in ‘Take Her, She’s Mine,’ although he was uncredited for the role. The actor’s first credited role was playing Private Ames in the 1965 film ‘Von Ryan’s Express.’ His other films in the 1960s included ‘Dear Brigitte,’ ‘One Man Flint,’ ‘Fantastic Voyage,’ ‘The Cape Town Affair,’ and ‘The Boston Strangler.’
Brolin continued to land film roles throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The most notable of his films from the 1970s were ‘Westworld’ and ‘The Amityville Horror.’ Some of his films from the 1980s were ‘Night of the Juggler’ and ‘High Risk.’
The 1980s was also a successful period in terms of Brolin’s television career, as he continually worked in television and appeared in multiple series. His best-known role from this decade was playing Peter McDermott in ‘Hotel’ from 1983 to 1988.
During the 1990s, James Brolin appeared in various successful movies, including ‘Ted & Venus,’ ‘Gas Food Lodging,’ ‘The Visual Bible: Acts,’ and ‘My Brother’s War.’ The latter was also Brolin’s directorial debut. He also appeared in many television movies in the 1990s. His longest television role during this decade was playing Lt. Colonel Bill Kelly in ‘Pensacola: Wings of Gold.’ Brolin appeared in 66 episodes of the series from 1997 to 2000. In 1997, James Brolin hosted six episodes of the anthology series ‘Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction.’
What Has Brolin Been in Since 2000?
Brolin is best known for his work from the 1960s to the 1980s. However, he has continued to work in the entertainment industry and has had many roles from 2000 onwards. Some of the films in which he has appeared since 2000 include ‘Burlesque,’ ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ ‘A Guy Thing,’ ‘The Alibi,’ ‘The Hunting Party,’ ‘Last Chance Harvey,’ ‘and ‘The American Standards.’ One of his biggest successes was ‘Traffic,’ for which he and his castmates won the Screen Guild Actors Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
His most recent film roles include playing Buck Ellis in the 2015 film ‘Sisters,’ Max in the 2019 film ‘Being Rose’ and providing the voices of Zurg and Old Buzz Lightyear in the 2022 animated film ‘Lightyear’. Fans were disappointed that actor Tim Allen was replaced as Buzz Lightyear, though.
Brolin has also had roles in various television series, although these have predominantly been smaller roles. Most recently, he was the narrator in the 2021 Netflix series ‘Sweet Tooth.’ Additionally, Brolin has appeared in various television movies, most notably playing Ronald Reagan in the 2003 television movie ‘The Reagans,’ for which he was nominated for several awards.
What Is James Brolin’s Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, James Brolin’s net worth is $50 million. He has made his money from his work as an actor in the film and television industries. Although he is now an octogenarian, Brolin remains active in the entertainment industry, so he has the potential to become even richer.
His Personal Life
James Brolin has been married three times and has three children and a stepson from his marriages. His first wife was Jane Cameron Agee, with whom he had a son, actor Josh Brolin, and a daughter Jess. The couple divorced in 1984, and Agee died in a car accident in 1995. From his son, Josh, Brolin has four grandchildren.
Brolin met actress Jan Smithers in 1985 while working on the set of ‘Hotel.’ The couple married in 1986 but divorced in 1995. They have one daughter, Molly Elizabeth, from their marriage, who was born in 1987.
Finally, Brolin met his third wife, actress and singer Barbara Streisand, in 1996 after they were introduced by a friend. The couple married two years later, and they now live in Malibu, California. When he married Streisand, Brolin became stepfather to Streisand’s only son, actor and singer Jason Gould.
