JOSH BROLIN: MY LIFE IN 10 Pictures

ONE WOULD think growing up the son of James Brolin might have given Joshua James Brolin a leg up in Hollywood-but you'd be wrong.

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"There's always this perception that if your dad's an actor, it's going to be easy for you." Instead, he'd describe himself as a "neglected," rebellious kid who once joined a surf gang, the Ciao Rats. "I felt like I had to be in the epicenter of whatever was earthquaking at the time, or causing the earthquake," Josh reflected. "[But] most of those guys I grew up with, they're dead now." He'd survive and go on to earn an Oscar nod for 2008's Milk. Along the way, Josh struggled with his own demons, finally giving up drinking in 2013. "Sobriety is knowing the difference between selfishness and integrity." So, what changed him? Ultimately, his role as father to four children - Yellowstone star Eden, producer Trevor and his two toddlers with third wife Kathryn. "Having kids was the best thing that ever happened to me," shared Josh, who turns 55 on Feb. 12. "It helped me to get over myself and made my life about something."

1 EARLY '70S UNDER THE SON

"I just didn't understand that insecurity when I was a kid," Josh once told Closer about growing up with "a moderately successful celebrity" in dad James. "He would work and then not work for a long time. We would have things, and then we wouldn't have things."

2 1985 CAMP FOLLOWER