Josh Brolin’s Top Roles

By Brent Furdyk. 6 Apr 2022 6:33 PM

Josh Brolin has appeared in numerous films over the years, going back to his teenage role in the 1985 classic “The Goonies”. Since then, the son of actor James Brolin has carved out his own distinctive niche, quietly climbing the Hollywood ladder while delivering an array of varied performances that demonstrates the kind of versatility that’s allowed him to disappear within his characters.

Soon to be seen headlining the paranormal western thriller series from Prime Video, “Outer Range”, take a look back at some of Brolin’s most memorable roles… so far.

Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images

Doc Block ("Grindhouse: Planet Terror", 2007)

©Weinstein Company LLC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Llewelyn Moss ("No Country For Old Men", 2007)

©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection

Young Agent K ("Men in Black III", 2012)

Wilson Webb/©Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Sgt. John O'Mara ("Gangster Squad", 2013)

Wilson Webb/©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection

Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/©FilmDistrict/courtesy Everett Collection

Matt Graver ("Sicario", 2015; "Sicario 2: Soldado", 2018)

Richard Foreman Jr. /© Columbia /Courtesy Everett Collection

Alison Cohen Rosa/ © Universal Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection

Thanos ("Avengers: Infinity War", 2018; "Avengers: Endgame", 2019)

Photo by Archie Andrews/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Brand Walsh ("The Goonies", 1985)
Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images
Josh Brolin made his screen debut in this comedy-adventure directed by Richard Donner, playing Brandon "Brand" Walsh, oldest member of the Goonies gang.

Even though he was just 16 when he made the movie, it still looms large in his cinematic legacy.

Years later, Brolin jokingly complained in an interview that people "can't talk to me without bringing it up."
Doc Block ("Grindhouse: Planet Terror", 2007)
©Weinstein Company LLC/Courtesy Everett Collection
While not a major role, Brolin portrayed the gruff-talking doctor at the centre of a military experiment gone awry that brings on a zombie apocalypse in the Robert Rodriguez-directed portion of Quentin Tarantino's "Grindhouse" trilogy.
Llewelyn Moss ("No Country For Old Men", 2007)
© Miramax/courtesy Everett Collection
Brolin delivered a knockout performance in this Oscar-winner from the Coen brothers, playing a Vietnam War veteran and welder who inadvertently discovers a huge amount of money. It's far from his lucky day, since his discovery places him in the crosshairs of relentless hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), who has been hired to retrieve the cash, resulting in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
George W. Bush ("W.". 2008)
©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection
While director Oliver Stone's comedy-drama-biopic about the 43rd president of the United States received mixed reviews, Brolin nevertheless captured the nuance of the much-maligned politician nicknamed "Dubya."
Dan White ("Milk", 2008)
©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection
While it was Sean Penn who took home an Oscar for playing openly gay San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk, Brolin received an Oscar nomination for his chilling performance as the embittered politician who murdered Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone.
Young Agent K ("Men in Black III", 2012)
Wilson Webb/©Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Josh Brolin dug deep to achieve maximum grumpiness to play the younger version of Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K in this 2012 entry in the "MIB" franchise.
Sgt. John O'Mara ("Gangster Squad", 2013)
Wilson Webb/©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection
Despite being part of an all-star ensemble cast, Brolin still shone as an LAPD detective given carte blanche by the chief of police (Nick Nolte) to assemble an unorthodox crew of crimefighters to bring down notorious mob boss Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn).
Joe Doucett ("Oldboy", 2013)
Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/©FilmDistrict/courtesy Everett Collection
While this Spike Lee-directed remake of a South Korean film received mixed reviews, the same cannot be said of Brolin's performance as an alcoholic advertising exec who finds himself mysteriously imprisoned. Over the course of decades, he begins training himself to seek brutal vengeance on his captors.
Matt Graver ("Sicario", 2015; "Sicario 2: Soldado", 2018)
Richard Foreman Jr. /© Columbia /Courtesy Everett Collection
While he's not starring, Brolin is the heart, soul and spine of this gritty film and its sequel, playing a CIA operative who leads a task force taking on a vicious drug cartel.
Eddie Mannix ("Hail, Caesar!", 2016)
Alison Cohen Rosa/ © Universal Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
Reuniting with the Coen brothers, Brolin got to show off his comedy chops as a Hollywood fixer working for a movie studio, tasked with keeping out-of-control actor Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) and other stars in line, using whatever means necessary in order to preserve the studio's investment.
Thanos ("Avengers: Infinity War", 2018; "Avengers: Endgame", 2019)
© Marvel/ © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
Despite being replicated via CGI, Brolin delivers a masterful performance as the megalomaniacal interstellar dictator bent on planetary genocide, his efforts ultimately thwarted by Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans) and pretty much every other superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Eric Marsh ("Only The Brave", 2017)
Richard Foreman /© Columbia Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
After his first outing as Thanos, Brolin starred in this reality-based feature, playing a member of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite firefighters who place their own lives at risk to protect a town from a devastating wildfire.
Cable ("Deadpool 2", 2018)
Photo by Archie Andrews/ABACAPRESS.COM
Brolin returned to super-villain mode to face off against Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, playing a time-traveling mercenary cyborg intent on capturing a young boy with awe-inspiring powers.

Josh Brolin’s Top Roles

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