Last Surviving Cast Member of Groundbreaking '70s Drama Turns 86

Long before he became known for films like The Amityville Horror and Westworld, or as the husband of Barbra Streisand and father of actor Josh Brolin, James Brolin became one of television’s biggest stars thanks to Marcus Welby, M.D. Now, the Emmy-winning actor is celebrating his 86th birthday on July 18.

Brolin joined the groundbreaking ABC medical drama in 1969 as young physician Dr. Steven Kiley, starring opposite Robert Young for all eight seasons of the series. The role transformed his career almost overnight. After years of guest appearances on shows like Batman, The Virginian and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Marcus Welby, M.D. made him a household name and launched him into leading-man status throughout the 1970s.

The success came quickly. Brolin won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the show’s pilot and went on to earn three additional Emmy nominations for the role. He also received three consecutive Golden Globe nominations, winning twice between 1971 and 1973.

Looking back more than 50 years later, Brolin admitted the recognition still feels surreal.

“I was nominated and won for the pilot of Marcus Welby, M.D., which was so exciting,” he told Emmy magazine in 2022. “Nobody had ever heard of me, and here I was being nominated for a pilot! It was a doubly thrilling night.”

Even after taking home television’s highest honor, he said he remained his own toughest critic.

“I don’t even know if I had much to say when I won. It certainly wasn’t an earth-moving speech. But I’m my own worst critic,” admitted Brolin.

The momentum from Marcus Welby opened the door to a string of memorable film roles, including Skyjacked, Westworld, Capricorn One and The Amityville Horror, before Brolin returned to television to headline the hit ABC drama Hotel in the 1980s. Over the decades, he’s continued working steadily in projects ranging from The West Wing and Life in Pieces to narrating Netflix’s Sweet Tooth and most recently appearing in Netflix’s Ransom Canyon.

Despite more than six decades in Hollywood, Brolin says the excitement of stepping onto a new set has never faded.

“I’m not really good at doing the same show over and over again,” he said. “There’s nothing better to me than getting a plane ticket somewhere and going to work with people you’ve never met before, weaving it all together and hoping it turns out.”

Asked what has kept him going for so long, his answer was simple.

“Every day working on set has been the best day of my life, except for my wedding and the birth of my children. I just love working in this business,” said the actor.

Today, Brolin is the last surviving main cast member of Marcus Welby, M.D., a landmark television series that helped define medical dramas for a generation and launched one of Hollywood’s most enduring careers.

Related: 1969 Classic Just Named the Greatest Movie Soundtrack of All Time