Just like the character he plays on The Young Riders, JOSH BROLIN seems like he is always trying to get away from his past... or more accurately his last name. Though he admits that being the son of James Brolin has opened doors for him, Josh has said in countless interviews that he wants to make it in Hollywood on his own steam and not because of his famous last name. Next to Stephen Baldwin, Josh -- who made his movie debut in Steven Spielberg's Goonies -- is the Rider who is becoming more visible on the big screen. After several diverse supporting roles in feature films like "Flirting With Disaster," "Mimic" and "The Hollow Man," Josh returned to television in 2002 with the short-lived political drama "Mister Sterling."

On The Young Riders, Josh portrays the iron-willed and fearless James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickock who is fast becoming the most-feared gunfighter in the West. The station's resident "bad boy," Jimmy dislikes authority though he is a headstrong contender for leadership of the group. Always one to act rather than think first, Jimmy has gotten himself and his friends into trouble on several occasions. The stories concerning Jimmy always seems to deal with his legendary skill with the gun and his life as the future Wild Bill Hickok. Though he considers the whole gang his family, Jimmy is especially close to Teaspoon, Kid and Lou. Teaspoon is the father he always wanted to have [his own father was abusive]. Kid is his nemesis/best friend. His friendship/attraction to Lou is also the subject of a great many debates. He also had a special bond with their first housekeeper, Emma.

Josh was born in Los Angeles and raised in Paso Robles, California on a horse ranch [though he hasn't ridden much before his stint on The Young Riders]. Always having had a knack for acting, it was after appearing in high school theater productions that he began to seriously consider joining the family business. In order to realize his goals, Brolin moved to Los Angeles to live with his father -- who incidentally is Barbra Streisand's new husband -- and began to study acting with Stella Adler. 

Brolin's television credits include leading roles in the series Private Eye and the televison movie Prison of Children as well as guest-starring roles in The Finish Line, Highway To Heaven and 21 Jump Street. But Josh's heart wasn't really into television. He once told Cosmopolitan Magazine "You get pigeonholed on TV. I couldn't stay in this business for twenty years and do episodic television. Luckily, once in a while a good director comes along and fights for me." Josh curently lives in Paso Robles in the ranch he inherited from his mother. Divorced, the martial arts expert and former surfer dude shares his home with his two children by ex-wife Deborah Adair. He got engaged to actress Diane Lane in 2003.

Nightwatch (1998) .... James Christian Coleman