Helen Sue Bruderlin belongs to the family history behind two well known actors, James and Josh Brolin. I find her own biography in a different set of details: a California childhood, marriage to a building contractor, four children, and later residence in Oak Park. She was born Helen Sue Mansur on November 4, 1915, in San Bernardino. The Brolin name entered the story through her son’s professional life.
James Brolin was born Craig Kenneth Bruderlin. That name connects him directly to Helen and Henry Hurst Bruderlin, his parents. It also explains why a family tree can contain Mansur, Bruderlin, and Brolin without describing unrelated households. I keep those names visible because the changes are part of the family’s history, rather than an obstacle to understanding it.
The Mansur Generations
Helen’s father, Alan J. Mansur, was a civil engineer born in Santa Ana on December 27, 1893. Her mother, Gertrude L. Stones, was born in San Bernardino on July 27, 1892. They married in 1912 and raised a family that moved within California. Helen was one of at least three children, with the family located in San Francisco by 1920 and San Bernardino by 1930.
Her paternal grandparents were Ozro Edward Mansur and Helen Alene Brownell. Ozro lived from 1865 to 1945, while Helen Alene lived from 1871 to 1952. They married in 1889. I see these older generations as useful anchors for Helen Sue’s beginnings, though their names and dates do not provide an intimate account of how she experienced childhood or her relationships with them.
Marriage and a Los Angeles Household
Helen married Henry Hurst Bruderlin on October 1, 1937, in Los Angeles. Henry had been born in Colorado on January 30, 1911, and worked as a building contractor. The couple established their family in Los Angeles, where their son Craig was born on July 18, 1940. Helen’s role is described as homemaking, while Henry’s work was in construction.
I find the household chronology more revealing than a generalized claim that Helen created a Hollywood dynasty. In 1940, the family was raising a child who had not yet become James Brolin. By 1950, three children were in the household, and a fourth arrived in 1952. Those dates describe years of family growth before the later public careers made the surname recognizable.
Four Children With Different Public Lives
Craig, later James Brolin, became an actor, producer, and director, known for television work including Marcus Welby, M.D. and Hotel. His siblings were Brian Gregory Bruderlin, a daughter also named Helen Sue, and Barbara Luanne Bruderlin. The younger Helen Sue is also identified as Susie Desper. Barbara, born in 1952, is also known as Barbara Johannessen.
The repeated name Helen Sue needs particular care. The mother born in 1915 and her daughter are different people. Brian, Susie, and Barbara have smaller public profiles than James, and their known family relationships should not be stretched into invented career histories or accounts of private family dynamics.
Divorce and Later California Years
Helen and Henry divorced in September 1967, ending a marriage that had begun almost 30 years earlier. Henry lived until January 12, 2002, when he died in Newport Beach at age 90. Helen was associated with Oak Park by 1976. These details locate the later family history without establishing how the former spouses organized their lives after divorce.
The exact year of Helen’s death is not consistently given. One account places it around September 2014, while another gives 1990. Neither is fully settled within the available account. The inconsistency limits claims about her lifespan and which later family events she personally witnessed. Her birth, marriage, children, and relationship to James remain clearer than that disputed endpoint.
Grandchildren in the Brolin Family
James’s children include Josh, Jess, and Molly Elizabeth Brolin, making them Helen’s grandchildren. Josh was born on February 12, 1968, and became known for films including No Country for Old Men and the Avengers series. Jess, born in 1972, has generally had a lower public profile. Molly, born in 1987, has been involved in production work.
I keep their occupations and visibility distinct. Having an actor as a father or brother does not give every member of the family an acting career. The same principle applies backward to Helen. Her place as grandmother is a relationship, not a professional credit. The expanding family tree is best read branch by branch, with each person’s own work described separately.
Later Connections and Another Generation
Trevor Brolin, born in 1988, and Eden Brolin, born in 1994, are Josh’s children and Helen’s great grandchildren. Eden became an actress. Their generation extends the family beyond James’s children, while the precise parentage of additional names mentioned in broad family lists should not be guessed. I avoid assigning a child to Molly or Josh solely because the Brolin surname appears nearby.
James later married Barbra Streisand, adding a prominent relationship to the family surrounding him. That marriage does not make Streisand Helen’s daughter or the mother of all James’s children. I find these distinctions essential in a family with several recognizable names. The family tree is a branching structure, and the most famous names do not all occupy the same branch or generation.
FAQ
Was Helen Sue Bruderlin James Brolin’s mother?
Yes. Helen and Henry Hurst Bruderlin were the parents of Craig Kenneth Bruderlin, who became known professionally as James Brolin. He was born in Los Angeles in 1940. I use his birth name to make the connection between the Bruderlin household and the later Brolin surname clear.
Did Helen have a daughter with the same name?
Yes. One of her four children was also named Helen Sue Bruderlin and is identified as Susie Desper. The mother and daughter should be treated as separate people. The older Helen was born in 1915, while Susie belonged to the next generation raised in the Los Angeles household.
Was Josh Brolin her son or grandson?
Josh was her grandson through James Brolin. Jess and Molly are also James’s children and therefore Helen’s grandchildren. Trevor and Eden, as Josh’s children, belong another generation later as her great grandchildren. Keeping those generations separate prevents a common compression of the family’s relationships.
