Bridges was born on December 9, 1941 in Los Angeles, California to Lloyd Bridges and to Dorothy Simpson. He studied at the University of Hawaii and the University of California, Los Angeles. Bridges was married to Julie Landfield from 1964 until they divorced in 1984. Then he was married to Wendy Treece since 1984. He has 2 children with Landfield and 3 with Treece. His brother is actor Jeff Bridges.