The Short Answer: Married to James Brolin
Barbra Streisand is married to James Brolin. The couple — she one of the most decorated entertainers in history, he a veteran TV and film actor — have been together for decades, making theirs one of Hollywood’s longest-running marriages.
They met on a blind date — set up by friends, both slightly reluctant — and the story goes that Brolin arrived, saw her, and was done for. Streisand has said she was struck by his lack of Hollywood phoniness: a real person, a pilot, a guy’s guy — the opposite of the industry types she’d known.
Who Is James Brolin?
James Brolin — father of actor Josh Brolin — is a TV and film veteran: Marcus Welby, M.D. (his breakout), Hotel, Life in Pieces, and films including Westworld and Traffic. He’s also a pilot, race car enthusiast, and builder — a man’s-man complement to Streisand’s diva legend.
The dynamic works because Brolin is secure: married to arguably the most famous woman in entertainment, he’s never competed with her spotlight — he’s flown his plane, built his houses, and been her rock. Streisand has called him her best friend; he’s called her the love of his life. Decades in, both still sound like newlyweds.
Brolin’s steadiness — the pilot’s calm, the builder’s patience — is the quality Streisand cites most: the man who’s unimpressed by fame because he’s got his own life. His race cars, his planes, his construction projects: the hobbies of a man who doesn’t need the spotlight — the perfect partner for the woman who is the spotlight.
As stepfather to Jason and father to Josh, Brolin’s navigated the blended family with ease: the Hollywood patriarch who’d rather be in the workshop than the green room. Decades in, he still looks at Streisand like the blind date just ended.
The Wedding
The couple married in a private ceremony — intimate by Streisand standards, though “intimate” for Barbra still meant famous friends and flawless production. The details were kept close: this was a wedding, not a show.
What followed was the marriage as masterclass: two strong careers, one strong partnership. They’ve collaborated (he’s directed her, she’s produced him), supported each other’s projects, and — crucially — maintained separate identities within the union. The secret, friends say: mutual respect and a shared sense of humor.
Before Brolin: Elliott Gould
Streisand’s first marriage — to actor Elliott Gould — came at the dawn of her fame: two young New York actors, both about to explode. They share a son, Jason Gould, who’s become an actor and singer himself — and who’s spoken lovingly about his famous mother.
The marriage ended in divorce as Streisand’s stardom eclipsed everything — the classic fame-divorce of the era. Gould has spoken about it with grace; Streisand, with characteristic candor. It was the seventies; they were kids; it didn’t survive. What survived: Jason, and a mutual respect.
Son Jason Gould
Jason Gould — Streisand’s only child — inherited the family talent: acting (The Prince of Tides, directed by his mother), singing (albums of standards, in the family tradition), and writing. He’s also been open about his life as a gay man — with a mother who’s been a fierce LGBTQ+ ally, including dedicating performances to him.
The mother-son bond is famously close: Jason’s sung with Barbra, been her date to events, and inherited her perfectionism. Brolin — stepfather since Jason’s adulthood — folded into the family with ease.
The Legend Herself
Streisand’s résumé defies summary: EGOT winner (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony — plus a special Tony), best-selling singer (People, The Way We Were, Guilty), acclaimed actress (Funny Girl, The Way We Were, A Star Is Born), and trailblazing director (Yentl, The Prince of Tides) at a time when women didn’t direct studios’ prestige pictures.
Through it all — the comebacks, the concerts, the activism — Brolin has been the constant: the husband who holds her hand at premieres and flies her home after. The greatest voice of her generation, and the marriage to match.
The EGOT — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, plus the special Tony — puts Streisand in the rarest company in entertainment: the quadruple crown. The directing — Yentl, The Prince of Tides — was trailblazing: a woman commanding studio prestige pictures when the industry barely let women direct at all.
Through every comeback, every concert, every controversy — Brolin’s been the constant: the husband holding her hand at premieres, flying her home after. The greatest voice of her generation, and the marriage to match: decades long, still going, still the real thing.
The Brolin constant — the pilot husband, the builder, the guy’s guy amid the diva legend — is the marriage’s quiet miracle: decades of fame, zero scandals, mutual delight intact. The EGOT, the concerts, the directing — all of it, with Jim in the wings. The greatest voice of her generation, and the love story to match: the blind date that became a lifetime.
The activism — the decades of Democratic fundraising, the outspokenness, the Streisand effect named for her — is the other legacy: the diva as citizen, the voice deployed for causes. The concerts end; the convictions don’t.
The Blind Date That Became a Legend
The blind date — set up by friends, both parties reluctant — is Hollywood’s great romantic irony: the most famous woman in entertainment, fixed up like a civilian. Brolin arrived; Streisand was struck by his lack of phoniness; he was done for on sight.
What followed — the courtship, the private wedding, the decades — is the anti-Hollywood romance: no scandal, no splits, no reality show. Just two veterans who’d both been married before, both knew what they wanted, and both chose each other — daily, for decades.
Their secret, friends say: separate identities, mutual respect, shared humor. She’s Barbra; he’s Jim; together, they’re the couple that makes the impossible look easy. The blind date worked — beyond anyone’s wildest setup.
The Concerts: Events of Nature
Streisand’s concerts — the comebacks, the farewells, the un-farewells — are events of nature: the voice, undimmed by decades, filling arenas with the kind of perfect pitch that made her legend. The tickets — famously, fabulously expensive — sell because the product is irreplaceable: there’s one Barbra.
The stagecraft — the orchestras, the storytelling, the between-song patter — is pure Streisand: the perfectionist controlling every element, the diva who’s earned the title. And Brolin’s there: the husband in the wings, the pilot who flew her in, the guy’s guy amid the glamour.
Decades of concerts, decades of marriage: the two great ongoing productions of Barbra Streisand’s life — both meticulously staged, both utterly real. The voice that defined a century, and the husband who’s heard it longest. Some encores never end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Barbra Streisand dating?
No one — Barbra Streisand is married to actor James Brolin; they’ve been together for decades.
Who is Barbra Streisand’s husband?
James Brolin — TV/film veteran (Marcus Welby, M.D., Life in Pieces) and father of Josh Brolin.
How did Barbra Streisand meet James Brolin?
On a blind date set up by friends — both were initially reluctant, then instantly smitten.
Was Barbra Streisand married before?
Yes — to actor Elliott Gould; they divorced and share son Jason Gould.
Does Barbra Streisand have kids?
One: son Jason Gould, an actor and singer.
Is Barbra Streisand an EGOT winner?
Yes — one of the rare EGOT holders (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).
What are Barbra Streisand’s most famous songs?
“People,” “The Way We Were,” “Woman in Love,” “Guilty” — among the best-selling singles ever.
What movies did Barbra Streisand direct?
Yentl and The Prince of Tides — trailblazing work for a woman director of her era.