Pierce Brosnan's Early Life
Pierce Brendan Brosnan was born on May 16, 1953, in the Irish town of Drogheda in County Louth to May and Thomas Brosnan. After his father left when he was an infant, his mother moved to London to work as a nurse. He was raised mainly by his maternal grandparents and then an uncle and aunt before moving to London to join his mother and stepfather.
Brosnan quickly developed an affinity for art and painting, leaving school at the age of 16 to work as an illustrator. However, he found acting in the early 1970s, enrolling in the Drama Centre London for three years and kickstarting his career on the West End.
Pierce Brosnan's Rise to Fame and Career
Brosnan's role in the British premiere of Tennessee Williams' The Red Devil Battery Sign earned him significant notice in the theater community, parlaying into minor film appearances in the early '80s, making his onscreen debut in 1980's The Long Good Friday. His role in the miniseries Manions of America (1981) established his presence in the United States, and he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his turn in the miniseries Nancy Astor (1982).
He rose to fame in 1982 when he first began starring in the NBC series Remington Steele, continuing till 1987. During this time, he also made appearances in films like Mrs. Doubtfire (1983) and The Fourth Protocol (1987).
After a lengthy bit of back and forth, in 1994, it was announced that Brosnan would take over the role of James Bond in the film series, the fifth actor to do so. He made his debut with 1995's GoldenEye, following it up with Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002), while also being attached to several other franchise efforts like Bond-themed video games. He eventually gave up the role in 2004 to Daniel Craig.
His other notable film projects include Mars Attacks! (1996), Grey Owl, The Thomas Crown Affair (both 1999), The Tailor of Panama (2001), The Matador (2005), Mamma Mia! (2008) and its 2018 sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, The Ghost Writer (2009), Black Adam (2021), and The Out-Laws (2023).
Pierce Brosnan's Personal Life
Brosnan has been married twice and has four children through his marriages. He first met actress Cassandra Harris in 1974 and they soon began dating. They got married in 1980, after which Harris appeared as a Bond Girl in 1981's For Your Eyes Only (13 years before Brosnan would be announced as James Bond himself). They welcomed son Sean in 1983 and he adopted her children Charlotte and Chris when their father died. In 1991, Harris died at the age of 43 after a long battle with ovarian cancer, a disease which also claimed the life of Charlotte in 2013 aged 42.
In 1994, he met journalist Keely Shaye Smith, and soon, they struck up a relationship. They tied the knot in 2001 and are now parents to sons Dylan (born 1997) and Paris (born 2001). They primarily divide their time between California, Hawai'i, and Ireland.
Brosnan is a dedicated humanitarian, frequently advocating for environmental causes, particularly against nuclear testing. He is also a painter, taking up his love for art once more when his first wife passed away. He has since sold NFTs of his work and in 2023, put his work on display in his first solo gallery in Los Angeles.
To learn more about Pierce Brosnan, click here
