Barbra Streisand recently claimed that the release of her new memoir, My Name Is Barbra has marked the end of her career as a performing artist and she will now be spending more time with family.
In what she said will be her last interview, she told the BBC: ‘I want to live life. I want to get in my husband’s truck and just wander, hopefully with the children somewhere near us.
‘I haven’t had much fun in my life, to tell you the truth. And I want to have more fun.’
Barbra and Josh celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary this year, but who is the famous actor that Barbra quit her performing career for to spend more time with?
Cute couple: Who is Barbra Streisand’s husband James Brolin? Read on for everything you need to know about the award-winning actor
Time out: Despite the glitz and glamour of fame, Barbra, 81, admitted she hasn’t had ‘much fun’ in her life and wants to spend more quality time with husband James
What is James Brolin’s job?
James is an actor just like his beloved wife.
He studied drama at the University of California before signing a contract with 20th Century Fox in 1960.
At Fox, he started out as a contract player in Sandra Dee movies and aged 20, he changed his surname from ‘Bruderlin’ to ‘Brolin’.
In 1967, his first big role was in The Cape Town Affair, but it did not receive any success at the box office.
James was ultimately fired by 20th Century Fox.
In 1969 he co-starred in the TV series Marcus Welby, M.D., portraying a doctor Stephen Kiley.
He was awarded the two Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award for his appearance in the show.
Since then, James is best known for his TV roles such as Peter McDermott on Hotel and John Short in Life in Pieces, while some of his film roles include Sgt. Jerome K. Weber in Skyjacked, Jack Barnes in Catch Me If You Can and more recently Emperor Zurg in the 2022 Toy Story spin-off film Lightyear.
In 1998 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Career: James starred in hit TV series Marcus Welby, M.D. (pictured on the show in 1970) and has been awarded two Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award
Was James Brolin married before meeting Barbra Streisand?
James was first married to Jane Cameron Agee, with the couple tying the knot 12 days after they first met in 1966.
The couple went on to welcome two sons, actor Josh Brolin, 55, and Jess Brolin, 51, and divorced in 1984.
Jane tragically died in a car accident on February 13, 1995, one day after their son’s 27th birthday.
James then tied the knot with Jan Smithers in 1986, after meeting on the set of Batman.
The pair welcomed a daughter Molly, 36, and Jan later filed for divorce in 1995.
His third marriage was to Barbra and took place on July 1, 1998.
Previously, Barbra was married to the Long Goodbye star Elliott Gould in 1963 and welcomed a son, Jason Gould. The couple divorce in 1971.
Family: James was first married to Jane Cameron Agee (pictured 1972) and they tied the knot in 1966 12 days after they first met. The couple welcomed two sons before divorcing in 1984
Ex: James later tied the knot with Jan Smithers in 1986, after meeting on the set of Batman. The pair welcomed a daughter Molly and Jan later filed for divorce in 1995 (pictured 1995)
Marriage: Previously, Barbra was married to the Long Goodbye star Elliott Gould in 1963 and welcomed a son, Jason Gould. The couple later divorce in 1971 (pictured 1967)
How did James Brolin and Barbra Streisand meet?
With both Barbra and James single in their 50s, their mutual friends decided to set them up on a blind date in 1996 at a dinner party.
‘We were set up as a blind date, and I was so shy that I came into the house and I went downstairs to be with the children and play with them until I had to sit down at the table,’ Streisand said during a 2021 appearance on The Tonight Show.
‘I expected a guy with a brown beard and brown, wavy hair, like a mountain man’, she added, ‘And I saw a guy that had all his hair cut off, no beard. And I walked by him. I put my hand through his hair and said, ‘Who f***ed up your hair?’
The Catch Me If You Can star said he knew right away that she was the one for him, while she knew he was the right guy ‘a few days’ later.
Two years later they said ‘I do’ during a star studded ceremony in Los Angeles.
When did James Brolin and Barbra Streisand marry?
The couple made their first public appearance together in November 1996 and later walked the red carpet together at the 69th Academy Awards in March 1997.
Barbra and James tied the knot on July 1, 1998 in the backyard of their home in Los Angeles, according to People.
The A-list couple’s wedding was a star studded Hollywood event with guests including Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Marlon Brando, Quincy Jones, John Travolta and Kelly Preston.
During the ceremony Barbra serenaded her new husband with two love songs.
I do! Barbra and James tied the knot on July 1, 1998 in the backyard of their home in Los Angeles
Exciting: The couple made their first public appearance together in November 1996 (pictured) and later walked the red carpet together at the 69th Academy Awards in March 1997
What has James Brolin said about his sex life with Barbra Streisand?
Earlier this month, James admitted that he didn’t have sex for three years before they wed.
The actor flummoxed CBS Sunday Morning interviewer Gayle King with the admission, which meant that he and Barbra didn’t have sex during the entirety of their courtship.
James brought up his years of celibacy unprompted after his wife was quizzed on why she made him propose to her three times before agreeing to marrying him.
‘I have to try him out for at least three years,’ she joked.
‘And I had been literally — this is a wild word — I had been celibate for three years, saying, ‘Who needs this?’ he said.
‘You’re not supposed to tell that!’ said a shocked Barbra, who slapped his knee playfully.
‘I had not had any interest in getting involved in a lousy situation,’ James added.
Then Barbra jumped in to explain that he ‘was married twice before,’ while she had had one previous marriage, and James worried that he might be jumping into another doomed relationship.
Gayle couldn’t help but make a joke about James and Barbra’s wedding night after years of sexless courtship.
‘After three years, that must have been a hell of a night then,’ she said.
‘Wild!’ James growled in response while gritting his teeth playfully as Barbra burst out laughing and turned back to look in his eyes.
Wow: Earlier this month, James made a shocking admission during his appearance on his wife’s recent interview when he admitted that he didn’t have sex for three years before they wed (pictured 2004)
