Josh Brolin

Early life

He was raised on a ranch in the Adelaida area of Paso Robles and attended elementary and middle school in Templeton, California. Around age 11, he moved to the Santa Barbara area and attended Santa Barbara High School. Brolin had little exposure to his father's acting career. In a 2014 interview, he described his youth as a member of a surfing friendship group called the "Cito Rats," which included children of both rich neglectful parents and poor parents.

He admitted to stealing cars to pay for his drug use, including heroin, which he said he did not like. Brolin stated that 19 friends from that group died, and later said 36 of the guys he grew up with are dead, with 12 in jail. In a 2012 interview, he claimed to have been a member of the Montecito hardcore band Rich Kids on LSD, later clarifying that he was part of the garage band that first started playing before the group became known as RKL. He also said on a podcast that he helped start the band.

Career

Brolin began his career with TV films and guest roles before landing a notable role as Brandon Walsh in The Goonies (1985). He was a finalist for the role of Tom Hanson in 21 Jump Street, which went to Johnny Depp, and later guest-starred on the show. After his second film, Thrashin', Brolin turned away from film acting for years, calling his performance "horrendous." He later said Flirting With Disaster (1996) was the first movie where he enjoyed his performance.

For several years, he appeared in stage roles in Rochester, New York, often with mentor Anthony Zerbe. He played Wild Bill Hickok in the ABC Western series The Young Riders (1989–92) and was involved in the TV series Winnetka Road (1994) and Mister Sterling (2003), both cancelled after a few episodes. By 2006, Brolin was trading stocks full time when he booked the lead role in No Country for Old Men (2007), which became a critical and commercial success.

He also appeared in American Gangster (2007) and starred as George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's W. (2008), a role Stone pursued him for.

Personal life

Brolin was married to actress Alice Adair from 1988 until 1994; they have two children, including Eden. He was engaged to actress Minnie Driver for six months. He married actress Diane Lane on August 15, 2004; they divorced in 2013. In March 2013, Brolin began dating his former assistant and model Kathryn Boyd.

They became engaged in March 2015 and married on September 24, 2016. Their first daughter was born on November 4, 2018, and their second daughter on December 25, 2020. On December 20, 2004, Lane called the police after an altercation with Brolin, and he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery; Lane declined to press charges, and the incident was characterized as a misunderstanding. On July 12, 2008, Brolin was arrested after an altercation at the Stray Cat Bar in Shreveport, Louisiana, along with actor Jeffrey Wright and five other crew members of W.; charges were later dropped.

He was arrested for public intoxication on New Year's Day 2013 in Santa Monica, California. Brolin later said this was a turning point, leading him to realize he was on a destructive path and needed to change. He has been sober from alcohol since 2013. Brolin started stock trading in his mid-20s and co-founded a now-defunct stock-trading website called MarketProbability.