Barbra Streisand’s Husband: His Career, Children and Marriage

Barbra Streisand’s husband is James Brolin, the actor who became her partner after a blind date brought them together in 1996. They married two years later, beginning a relationship that has become a familiar part of both stars’ lives.

For someone whose career includes celebrated films, bestselling recordings and major entertainment awards, Streisand has described a surprisingly simple wish for her later years. She wants time with her husband, visits from family and the freedom to enjoy ordinary days.

That feeling came through during a November 2023 interview with the BBC ahead of the publication of her memoir, My Name Is Barbra. Streisand spoke about wanting to climb into Brolin’s truck, wander somewhere together and have their loved ones nearby.

Her comments offered a personal glimpse of a woman whose professional life has often involved enormous expectations. Away from the stage and recording studio, she values companionship, laughter and a house filled with people she loves.

Who Is Barbra Streisand’s Husband?

James Brolin is an American actor with a long career in television and film. His television work includes Marcus Welby, M.D., Hotel and Life in Pieces, giving different generations of viewers their own introduction to him.

He is also the father of actor Josh Brolin, whose screen career has made the family name familiar to another generation of movie audiences.

James and Streisand arrived at their relationship with established careers and families. Neither was beginning adult life or learning what it meant to work in entertainment. They had already experienced professional success, public attention and previous marriages.

That background gives their story a particular appeal. Their relationship developed at a time when both had already built full lives, and Streisand has written that she was comfortable being on her own before they met.

How Did Barbra Streisand and James Brolin Meet?

Streisand and Brolin were introduced through a blind date in 1996.

A meeting arranged by other people eventually became the start of their marriage. For Streisand, however, finding a partner had stopped being the central concern in her life.

In My Name Is Barbra, she explained that she had largely given up on finding someone. She had her son, close friends, fulfilling work and a Malibu home overlooking the ocean.

Her description makes clear that she did not see herself as waiting for life to begin. There was already plenty in it that mattered to her.

Brolin entered that established world. Looking back, Streisand connected her readiness for a relationship with being content in herself first.

It is one of the more thoughtful parts of their love story. The unexpected meeting came after she had made peace with the possibility of remaining single.

They Married in July 1998

Barbra Streisand and James Brolin married on July 1, 1998, two years after their first date.

Their wedding took place at her Malibu estate, bringing together their families and friends for a celebration that attracted considerable public interest.

By then, both understood the attention that accompanied their names. Even so, the significance of the occasion was personal: They were choosing to share the next part of their lives.

The marriage also joined two existing families. Streisand was already the mother of Jason Gould, while Brolin had three children.

Their wedding began a new chapter for everyone involved, extending their relationship beyond the couple themselves and into a wider family circle.

Streisand Has Spoken About Wanting More Time With Him

During her November 2023 BBC interview, Streisand spoke openly about wanting more enjoyment in her life.

“I want to live life,” she said.

She described wanting to travel casually with Brolin in his truck, ideally with family somewhere close by. There was no elaborate itinerary in the picture she offered. The appeal seemed to be the chance to go somewhere together and enjoy the experience.

She also talked about how much she liked having the children visit. Watching them play with the dogs and spending time together brought her pleasure.

Those comments should be understood in their original context. Streisand was speaking around the release of a major memoir, reflecting on decades of work and considering how she wanted to spend her time afterward.

Her words expressed a desire for more personal freedom and family enjoyment. They were not, by themselves, a detailed announcement about future career plans.

James Brolin Says Marriage Requires Patience

Brolin has offered a practical explanation for maintaining a long marriage.

Speaking to PEOPLE in an interview referenced in the supplied material, he emphasized negotiation, patience and knowing when to step away for a walk.

His advice recognizes that two people will sometimes want different things or respond differently to the same problem. Sharing a life requires decisions, adjustments and the ability to pause before an argument becomes worse.

A walk can create a little breathing room. Negotiation can help each person feel heard. Patience gives both partners time to understand what the other is trying to say.

Brolin’s comments present marriage as something people continue working on, even after many years together. That idea also appears in Streisand’s own account of their relationship.

Their Different Personalities Are Part of Their Story

In her memoir, Streisand acknowledged that she and Brolin have different temperaments.

She described herself as someone who notices what might be wrong, while presenting him as someone who approaches the day with an optimistic outlook.

Anyone familiar with Streisand’s reputation for close attention to her work can see how that observation fits her public image. She has spent decades making detailed creative decisions across music, acting and filmmaking.

Brolin’s outlook, as she describes it, brings another perspective into their home.

Still, she did not suggest that different personalities automatically make a marriage easy. Her explanation for their relationship’s endurance was that both are willing to make an effort.

That willingness gives the differences somewhere to go. They can discuss them, adjust to them and keep learning how to live together.

Do Barbra Streisand and James Brolin Have Children Together?

Barbra Streisand and James Brolin do not share biological children. Their blended family includes children from their earlier marriages.

Streisand has one son, Jason Gould, whom she shares with her former husband, actor Elliott Gould.

Brolin has three children: Josh, Jess and Molly. Through her marriage to James, Streisand became their stepmother.

The distinction is useful because searches about the couple’s children sometimes mix together their family relationships. Jason is Streisand’s son, and James’s three children are her stepchildren.

Together, those relationships form the family she referred to when discussing visits, shared time and the happiness of having loved ones nearby.

Their Family Includes Grandchildren

The family extends to another generation through Josh Brolin’s children.

The supplied material identifies his four children as Trevor, Eden, Westlyn and Chapel. Streisand is their stepgrandmother through her marriage to James.

Her remarks about enjoying family visits add warmth to a story often told through wedding anniversaries and red-carpet photographs.

At home, the moments she described were familiar ones: relatives coming over, children playing with dogs and everyone having fun together.

For readers accustomed to seeing Streisand as a performer with a remarkable career, those details offer a different view. They show what she chooses to mention when asked about happiness outside work.

Streisand Was Previously Married to Elliott Gould

Before marrying James Brolin, Streisand was married to Elliott Gould, with whom she welcomed Jason.

That earlier marriage remains part of her family history, but Brolin is her second husband and the partner at the center of the later-life reflections in her memoir.

Brolin also had previous marriages before their relationship began.

Both therefore brought experience into their marriage. They had already navigated relationships, parenthood and demanding careers before choosing to build a life together.

It would be too simple to assume that experience removes every difficulty. Their own comments focus instead on the ongoing work of being partners, including patience and a willingness to understand each other.

Her Memoir Explains Why This Chapter Matters

Published in November 2023, My Name Is Barbra gave Streisand space to tell her story in her own voice.

The book covers her childhood, creative development and entertainment career, alongside the personal relationships that shaped her life.

Discussing it with the BBC, she described writing as a way to gain control over how her story was told. After decades of being interviewed and interpreted by others, she wanted to put her own account on record.

Her marriage belongs within that larger story. Brolin became her partner after she had already achieved extraordinary success and had reached a degree of contentment on her own.

The future she described was appealing in its simplicity: time beside her husband, family close enough to visit and more opportunities to enjoy herself.

For anyone asking who Barbra Streisand’s husband is, the answer is James Brolin. Her own reflections explain why he matters to her: He is the person she wants beside her when the work is finished and there is finally time to get in the truck and go somewhere.