James Brolin Talks about Life and His Show

By Francine Brokaw

When James Brolin first rode his motorcycle in the opening credits for the hit medical drama “Marcus Welby, M.D.” (1969-1976), he captured the hearts of millions of women and the respect of millions of men. As Dr. Steven Kiley, Brolin was macho yet sensitive. In other words, he was the doctor we all wanted to have, along with Welby. And for many of us, we’re still looking!

Last year Brolin returned to TV as John in the sitcom “Life in Pieces.” In between “Marcus Welby” and “Life in Pieces,” this actor has been busy on both the small and big screens. And, for those who don’t know, he has a famous wife as well. Brolin has been married to Barbra Streisand since 1998. This white haired actor is not only very attractive still, he is also charming and quite funny, as he proved when he and the rest of the cast recently met with the media.

The series runs the gambit as far as ages of the cast. Brolin said about working with child actors, “There’s something wonderful about children’s honesty – that they’re born with this truth. And as we get older, we begin to adjust for problems, and become liars and cheats.”

When asked about what his wife thought of his new job, the silver haired actor said with a grin, “First of all, she’s glad I’m out of the house.” Streisand is currently on a concert tour and her proud husband claimed, “I’ve never missed a show in 20 years. And I missed the first one last night,” he said regretfully, but insisted as soon as he was done with this press event he would be driving directly to Las Vegas to catch her next show.

“I think we really appreciate each other's work, when it happens,” he stated about their relationship. “And not so much the time in the hammock, which I had for five years, hoping my agent would never call. But, you know, 17 years on prime time is enough for one old guy, until I got here [to this show].” Brolin had previously starred in other hit series, including “Hotel” which ran from 1983-1988, and “Pensacola: Wings of Gold” which aired from 1997-2000.

As Brolin explained, “This was the third sitcom that Aaron Kaplan (Executive Producer) submitted to me in three years. And the others just sucked. And this one really got my funny bone. I was on the floor laughing at [the] humor. And I just said I just got to do this, …”

As the press event finished, Brolin stated, “I’m back to work. I love it.”

In between filming for “Life in Pieces” Brolin has film projects he is working on as well as a busy schedule following his wife around the country. At 76 he shows no signs of slowing down.

“Life in Pieces” begins its second season October 27, 2016 on CBS.