Barbra Streisand and James Brolin: How They Met & Why It Works

What were Barbra Streisand’s first words to James Brolin when they met? What’s her favorite thing about him?

Barbra Streisand and James Brolin are one of those “happily ever after” stories that can be rare among the rich and famous. They met in 1996 (one of them considers it love at first sight), and they’re still going strong after 27 years. Streisand writes about their relationship in her memoir My Name Is Barbra.

Continue reading to learn about Barbra Streisand and James Brolin’s love story.

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Barbra Streisand and James Brolin

Barbra Streisand and James Brolin have been married since 1998. In her memoir, Streisand describes Brolin as attractive, considerate, and very masculine. Her favorite thing about him is that he doesn’t feel threatened by her success and doesn’t try to hold her back professionally; on the contrary, he encourages her to pursue opportunities and helps in any way he can.

(Shortform note: The reason some men feel so threatened by their wives’ success while others don’t may have to do with how successful these men feel they are. A study by the American Psychological Association says that men’s self-esteem suffers when their romantic partners succeed at things they (the men) feel like they’ve failed at. So, in this case, perhaps Gould felt threatened by Streisand’s success because he wasn’t satisfied with his career as an actor—and, conversely, maybe Brolin doesn’t feel threatened because he is satisfied with his successes.)

Streisand explains that she met Brolin in 1996 at a dinner party hosted by one of their mutual friends. He was sporting an unusual haircut that day, and Streisand’s first words to him were to ask who had messed up his hair. Far from being offended, Brolin—a professional actor like Streisand—was pleasantly surprised to meet someone in the industry who spoke her mind freely and honestly. They didn’t speak to anyone else for the rest of the party, and then they went back to Streisand’s home where they kept talking late into the night.

(Shortform note: Though he hasn’t won as many awards as Streisand, Brolin is a star in his own right—he’s best known for his roles on TV shows such as Marcus Welby, M.D. and Hotel. Brolin has won two Golden Globe awards and one Emmy award, and he was nominated for several more. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In addition to his professional success, Brolin’s reputation is also positive; the press tends to agree with Streisand’s description of him as attractive and caring.)

Streisand and Brolin lived together for about two years before getting married in 1998, and they’ve been happily married ever since.

What Brolin Says About Streisand

Brolin’s account of that first dinner party is a bit more extreme than Streisand’s. He says that he found Streisand’s straightforwardness extremely attractive; for him, it was love at first sight.

Later, during an interview about their marriage of (at the time) 24 years, Brolin shared some tips that he believes are key to a successful relationship:

First, you and your partner should know the other’s history so you understand each other’s motivations and traumas—in other words, why you both act the way you do, especially when upset.

Second, as partners, you need to be patient with each other because both of you are going to make mistakes and upset each other sometimes. On that note, Brolin says that it’s important to know when to walk away from a situation for a little while and cool down.

Finally, you and your partner should know how to negotiate with each other. This is crucial because there will be times when you can’t agree on something and need to work out a compromise.

Barbra Streisand and James Brolin: How They Met & Why It Works