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Josh Brolin

Josh Brolin

Actor, also producer · Born February 12, 1968 (58) · Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California, USA

Screen Actors Guild Award winner · Oscar nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Josh James Brolin (born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. A son of actor James Brolin, he gained fame in his youth for his role in the adventure film The Goonies (1985). After years of decline, Brolin had a resurgence with his starring role in the crime film No Country for Old Men (2007). Brolin received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for portraying Dan White in the biopic Milk (2008). Brolin's career progressed with roles in W. (2008), True Grit (2010), Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), Men in Black 3 (2012), Oldboy (2013), Inherent Vice (2014), Everest (2015), and Hail, Caesar! (2016). He gained wider recognition for playing Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), including in the films Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), as well as Cable in Deadpool 2 (2018). Brolin also collaborated with filmmaker Denis Villeneuve in the action thriller Sicario (2015) and in the science fiction films Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024), in which he played Gurney Halleck.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 12, 1968 (58)
From
Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
75 on MovieCove · 97 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 9% in 30 days

What are Josh Brolin's films like?

Across their 64 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action25 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 94th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
24%
Bonds
20%
Survival
16%
Self
12%
Power
12%
Society
9%
Ideas
6%
Family bonds15 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity12 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival10 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice10 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption9 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 61 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 14 · Serious 20 · Dark 27

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 27 · Stylized 18 · Heightened 16

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 8 · Charged 22 · Intense 31

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 17 · Shifting 34 · Whiplash 10

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 35 · Some laughs 17 · Funny 9

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 25 · Relentless 15

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 34 · Full focus 13

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 15 · Affecting 23 · Heavy 23

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 39 · Open-ended 13 · Ambiguous 9

Roles they play

41 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 14 of 41 analyzed roles.

Hero
14 of 41
Shadow
11 of 41
Ally
7 of 41
Mentor
6 of 41
Shapeshifter
2 of 41
Threshold guardian
1 of 41
Show the 41 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
43
Melancholic
25
Dread
14
Thrilling
17
Contemplative
18
Other
55

How their films linger

Thought-provoking23 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet25 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 13 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet35
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous13

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Josh Brolin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 53 of their 75 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (19).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Josh Brolin's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

97 credits, 75 with a MovieCove page; 41 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Dune: Part Three(2026)

    as Gurney Halleck

  • Whalefall(2026)

    as Mitt Gardiner

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Dog Stars(2026)

    as Bangley

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Horse Power (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Narrator

  • Wake Up Dead Man(2025)

    as Mons. Jefferson Wicks

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The American Revolution(2025)

    Show 6 episodes · as George Washington (voice)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • The Running Man(2025)

    as Dan Killian

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Countdown: Canelo vs. Crawford(2025)

    Show 2 episodes · as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows

  • Weapons(2025)

    Executive Producer · as Archer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Pay Dirt: The Story of Supercross (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Narrator

  • Brothers(2024)

    Producer · as Moke Munger

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Dune: Part Two(2024)

    as Gurney Halleck

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • N-Men: The Untold Story(2023)

    as John O’Shei

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Ground Swell: The Other Side of Fear(2023)

    as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • George & Tammy(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Outer Range(2022)

    Show 15 episodes · Director · Executive Producer · as Royal Abbott

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Dune(2021)

    as Gurney Halleck

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Flag Day(2021)

    as Uncle Beck

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • What If...?(2021)

    Show 3 episodes · as Thanos (voice)

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Marvel Studios: Legends(2021)

    Show 17 episodes · as Thanos (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • Russo Bros. Pizza Film School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • A Bend in the River(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Avengers: Endgame(2019)

    as Thanos

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Once Upon a Deadpool(2018)

    as Cable

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Sicario: Day of the Soldado(2018)

    as Matt Graver

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Deadpool 2(2018)

    as Cable

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Avengers: Infinity War(2018)

    as Thanos

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter(2018)

    as Buck Ferguson

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Only the Brave(2017)

    as Eric Marsh

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Never Surrender: The Ed Ramsey Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Unchained: The Untold Story of Freestyle Motocross(2016)

    Producer · as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Hail, Caesar!(2016)

    as Eddie Mannix

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Battle Zone: The Origins of Sicario (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as (archive footage)

  • Sicario(2015)

    as Matt Graver

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Everest(2015)

    as Beck Weathers

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron(2015)

    as Thanos (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Inherent Vice(2014)

    as Lt. Det. Christian F. "Bigfoot" Bjornsen

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Sin City: A Dame to Kill For(2014)

    as Dwight

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Guardians of the Galaxy(2014)

    as Thanos (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Labor Day(2013)

    as Frank

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Oldboy(2013)

    as Joe Doucett

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Gangster Squad(2013)

    as John O'Mara

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Untamed Americas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 4 episodes · as Narrator

  • Men in Black 3(2012)

    as Young Agent K

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Back Into the Tunnels: The Making of 'Mimic' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Thanks · as Self

  • Blackout(2012)

    Show 2 episodes · as Terrance Danfield

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows

  • True Grit(2010)

    as Tom Chaney

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Women of SNL (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Various (archive footage)

  • You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger(2010)

    as Roy

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps(2010)

    as Bretton James

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Tillman Story(2010)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Jonah Hex(2010)

    as Jonah Hex

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The People Speak(2009)

    Executive Producer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Women in Trouble(2009)

    as Nick Chapel

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • 30 for 30(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of Amy Poehler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Bar Guy (archive footage)

  • Milk(2008)

    as Dan White

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • W.(2008)

    as George W. Bush

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Behind the Scenes of 'No Country for Old Men': An Incredibly Unauthorized Documentary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Editor · Producer · as Self

  • No Country for Old Men(2007)

    as Llewelyn Moss

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • American Gangster(2007)

    as Detective Trupo

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • To Each His Own Cinema(2007)

    as (segment "World cinema")

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • In the Valley of Elah(2007)

    as Chief Buchwald

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Grindhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Block (segment "Planet Terror")

  • Planet Terror(2007)

    as Dr. William Block

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Dead Girl(2006)

    as Tarlow

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Into the Blue(2005)

    as Bates

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Into the West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 6 episodes · as Jedediah Smith

  • Melinda and Melinda(2004)

    as Greg

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Milwaukee, Minnesota (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Gary

  • Mister Sterling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 10 episodes · as Bill Sterling

  • Coastlines(2002)

    as Dave Lockhart

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Slow Burn(2000)

    as Duster

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Hollow Man(2000)

    as Matthew Kensington

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • All the Rage(1999)

    as Tennel

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Picnic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Hal Carter

  • Best Laid Plans(1999)

    as Bryce

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Mod Squad(1999)

    as Billy Waites

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • My Brother's War(1997)

    as Pete

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Mimic(1997)

    as Josh

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Nightwatch(1997)

    as James

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Gang in Blue(1996)

    as Keith DeBruler

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Flirting with Disaster(1996)

    as Tony Kent

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Bed of Roses(1996)

    as Danny

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Outer Limits(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Jack Pierce

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • The Road Killers(1994)

    as Tom

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Winnetka Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 6 episodes · as Jack Passion

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • The Young Riders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 68 episodes · as Wild Bill Hickok

  • Finish Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Glenn Shrevelow

  • Private Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 12 episodes · as Johnny Betts

  • 21 Jump Street(1987)

    Show 1 episode · as Taylor Rolator

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Prison for Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Boise

  • Thrashin'(1986)

    as Corey Webster

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Goonies(1985)

    as Brand

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Highway to Heaven(1984)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Mister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 96 titles, 94 of them dated from 1984 to 2026; peak year 2017.

Biggest box office

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

$2.9B worldwide

Highest rated

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Whalefall (2026)

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19842026

Peak 2017 · their film career is on the way up. Top draw in 37 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 2 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting91 of 96: 88 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stDirecting2 of 96: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleProducing7 of 96: 3 only producing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stEditing1 of 96: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 96: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

96 titles, 4 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1980s8 · acting1990s12 · acting2000s24 · 22 acting · 2 crew2010s30 · 29 acting · 1 crew2020s20 · 19 acting · 4 crew

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 19% of 53 roles
8500101520

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a Screen Actors Guild Award and 2 other major awards from 10 major nominations, 2008–2015.

WinNomination
  1. 2015
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
    • Independent Spirit Award, won
  2. 2009
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
    • +1 other major body · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Acting Ensemble
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
  3. 2008
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Acting Ensemble

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Josh Brolin's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of the 63 of 64 with a score; across their 61 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 61

Approval · how many liked their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 61

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 61

Midcredits score across 74 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up29
  • 50th to 74th20
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

28 of their 74 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved16
  • Universally Panned2
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser28
  • Broadly Agreed10
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · actor, producer

The People Speak (2009)

92nd percentile spread · 17% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 56 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Josh Brolin's work okay for kids?

Across up to 44 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore37 titles38–91 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity44 titles12–69 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity36 titles31–84 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs36 titles27–65 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense35 titles41–85 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Josh Brolin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Josh Brolin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Roger Deakins shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles