PROFILES

Josh Brolin plays George. W. Bush in Oliver Stone's new biopic, “W.”

He will next be seen in Gus Van Sant's MILK, opposite Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch and James Franco. The biopic tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office. Brolin portrays Dan White, the San Francisco County Supervisor who murders Milk.

Brolin most recently starred in Joel and Ethan Coen’s NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, which won four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Director; and in Ridley Scott’s blockbuster AMERICAN GANGSTER. Brolin was a Screen Actors Guild Award nominee as part of the ensemble for the latter film, and was honored with a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the winning ensemble for the former.

Brolin is currently producing a documentary with Chris Moore, Anthony Arnove and Howard Zinn, based on Zinn and Arnove's award-winning book, The People Speak, which looks at America's struggles with war, class, race and women's rights. The documentary features Matt Damon, Sean Penn, David Strathairn and Viggo Mortensen, among others.

Other film credits include Paul Haggis’ IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH; Robert Rodriguez’ PLANET TERROR portion of GRINDHOUSE; John Stockwell’s INTO THE BLUE; Victor Nunez’ COASTLINES; Paul Verhoeven’s HOLLOW MAN; James D. Stern’s ALL THE RAGE; Guillermo del Toro’s MIMIC; David O. Russell’s FLIRTING WITH DISASTER; and Richard Donner’s THE GOONIES, which marked his film debut.

In early 2008, Brolin’s film directing debut, a short entitled X, which he also wrote and produced, premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival before screening at such festivals as South by Southwest and the AFI Dallas Film Festival. Brolin also directed the behind-the-scenes documentary for the NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN DVD.

Brolin made his mark in television starring in two Western dramas: the epic miniseries “Into the West” and the popular series “The Young Riders.” He has also starred in the series “Mister Sterling” and “Private Eye”; in the telefilms GANG IN BLUE, with the late J.T. Walsh, and PRISON FOR CHILDREN, directed by Larry Peerce; and in the telefilm remake of PICNIC, directed by Ivan Passer.

He spent five years with actor/director Anthony Zerbe at the Reflections Festival at the GeVa Theatre in Rochester, New York. While there, Brolin directed and performed in several of the festival’s plays, including “Pitz and Joe”; “Life in the Trees”; “Forgiving Typhoid Mary”; “Oh; The Innocents”; “Peep Hole”; “Ellen Universe Joins the Band”; “Lincoln Park Zoo”; and “Hard Hearts.”

His additional stage work includes starring opposite Elias Koteas on Broadway in Sam Shepard's “True West”; appearing Off-Broadway in “The Exonerated,” “The Skin of Our Teeth,” “The Crucible,” and “A Streetcar Named Desire,” all at the Kennedy Memorial Theatre; “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Lebrero Theatre; and “Dark of the Moon” at the Ann Capa Ensemble Theatre.