Josh Brolin

Josh James Brolin is an American actor born on February 12, 1968, in Santa Monica, California. The son of actor James Brolin and casting director Jane Cameron Agee, he gained early recognition in his youth for playing Brandon Walsh in the adventure film The Goonies (1985). Decades later, Brolin achieved a major career resurgence with his starring role in the Coen brothers' crime film No Country for Old Men (2007). He gained further global fame playing Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Cable in Deadpool 2 (2018), and Gurney Halleck in Denis Villeneuve's Dune film series.

Brolin was raised on a ranch in the Adelaida area of Paso Robles, California, attending elementary and middle school in Templeton before moving to the Santa Barbara area to attend Santa Barbara High School. Despite his father's profession, Brolin had little exposure to acting during his childhood. As a teenager in the 1980s, he was a member of a surfing group called the "Cito Rats" and helped start a garage band that later became the punk band Rich Kids on LSD.

Brolin began his career in television films and guest roles before landing his role in The Goonies. Dissatisfied with his subsequent work in Thrashin', Brolin stepped away from film acting for years to perform in stage roles in Rochester, New York, alongside mentor Anthony Zerbe. He later starred as Wild Bill Hickok in the Western television series The Young Riders from 1989 to 1992, and appeared in short-lived series including Winnetka Road and Mister Sterling. He regarded his performance in the 1996 comedy Flirting With Disaster as a key turning point in his acting perspective.

By 2006, Brolin was trading stocks full-time when he landed the lead role in No Country for Old Men. This success led to roles in Ridley Scott's American Gangster (2007) and Oliver Stone's W. (2008), in which he played George W. Bush. For his portrayal of Dan White in Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk (2008), Brolin received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, alongside wins from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review. He also hosted Saturday Night Live in 2008, 2012, and 2024.

Throughout the 2010s, Brolin appeared in diverse films including Jonah Hex, True Grit, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Men in Black 3, Gangster Squad, Oldboy, Inherent Vice, Sicario, Everest, and Hail, Caesar!. In 2010, he made his directorial debut with the short film X.

Brolin expanded into blockbuster franchises playing Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), receiving critical acclaim for his performance. He also portrayed Cable in Deadpool 2 and played Gurney Halleck in Dune (2021), Dune: Part Two (2024), and Dune: Part Three (2026). In television, Brolin starred as Royal Abbot and executive produced Outer Range. In 2019, he founded Brolin Productions, which produced the film Brothers (2024). His upcoming projects include Weapons, The Running Man, Wake Up Dead Man, The Dog Stars, and Whalefall.