Hotel actors, James Brolin and Jan Smithers met and started an affair back in the 1980s, and this produced a daughter, Molly Elizabeth Brolin. She was born in 1987.
Maybe Brolin and Smithers didn’t know or plan for things to go this route but here we are.
Molly Elizabeth isn’t just the regular celebrity kid whose entire family, nuclear and extended, are celebrities and so, a celebrity as well.
In fact, she has shied away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood despite being born into it. Her choice of working hard for herself and even deciding on a life behind the scenes is evidence of this.
James Brolin’s Only Daughter is a Producer in Hollywood
Molly Elizabeth Brolin has movie credits for Royal Reunion, John Mulaney: New in Town, and Men in Black 3. So, it is a no-brainer that being born into a family of actors did influence her career path, after all.
She started off working as a production assistant on Royal Reunion (2011) then moved on to John Mulaney: New in Town (2012) before she made the big move to Men in Black 3 (2012).
Most recently, she worked as an assistant producer for the TV movie; Royal Hearts (2018). Her stint in the production industry doesn’t just stop on the silver screens as she also tried working on Broadway creating a rock Opera titled ‘Smile Swamp Princess’, and even attempted directing.
In the same vein, Molly also has an appearance in front of the screens. She starred in a guest role in Shadows of a Gun.
Despite following her family’s path, she found herself in a more discrete niche and is doing well in her own right.
She Studied at the Berklee College of Music
James Brolin and Jan Smithers bore Molly Elizabeth Brolin on November 28, 1987, in California, United States of America.
She attended a high school located in California before moving to Berklee College of Music, Boston. After graduating with a degree from the university, she found her way into Hollywood but not necessarily with her parent’s connections.
As already discussed, Molly started off humbly, working as a production assistant before she even began gunning for big roles.
Molly Elizabeth was Born after an Affair led to Her Parents’ Marriage
Molly’s parents met on the set of 1983-1988’s Hotel where James played Peter McDermott. At the time, the actor was still married to his first wife, Jane Cameron Agee. However, this did not prevent the attraction that brewed between him and Jan.
Soon after, a romance began and James moved out of his house with Jane to be with Molly’s mother. By 1985, James and Jan got married and 2 years later, they welcomed Molly.
James’ second marriage was a rude shock to his first wife who knew nothing about it until she heard it on the radio.
Things did not end well with messy divorce proceedings and the former couple never speaking to each other again.
At some point, Jane Cameron Agee-Brolin blamed Jan Smithers for breaking up her marriage.
However, she made Molly the youngest of Brolin’s 3 children, having bore him 2 sons Josh (1968) and Jess (1973).
After about a decade of being married, James and Smithers’ marriage came crashing down. Molly’s mother filed for divorce from the Traffic actor in 1995.
According to Jan, the reason for their divorce was simply because she wanted another life. When she had her daughter, she decided that she didn’t want the Hollywood glitz anymore and she and her husband began to grow apart.
The 36-year-old Producer Shares a Good Relationship with Her Family Members
Molly is related to quite a number of celebrities from the same family. Aside from her parents who are both actors, (Jan’s career is not as known as Brolins), she has an older brother who is also an actor.
Josh Brolin, James Brolin’s first child, and son, is known for his roles in movies such as The Goonies (1985), No Country for Old Men (2007), and as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Jess, according to James Brolin, is more invested in charity works and so doesn’t tow the path of fame.
Elizabeth’s stepmother, whom her father married 3 years after his second divorce, Barbra Streisand, is also a very famous singer, actress, and director.
Barbra has, to her name, an EGOT and is one of the few performers to achieve such a feat.
However, despite wanting to be low-key, James Brolin’s only daughter cannot deny the fact that she is surrounded by famous people. She still shares a great relationship with her family members.
Amomama even reports that Molly and her half-brother Jason Gould, from Streinsand’s first marriage to Elliot Gould, are also great.
The controversy of her father’s first divorce did not affect her relationship with her older brothers nor did her parent’s divorce affect her and her father.
Molly has severally shared sweet messages to and for her father on her social media platforms. She also worked closely with him when she worked on Royal Hearts– a movie directed by Brolin.
