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[h3]Pierce Brendan Brosnan was an only child, and had a difficult, challenging childhood. Pierce’s father was a carpenter called Thomas, who abandoned Pierce and Mary, his mother, before baby Pierce had even reached his first birthday. Since Mary needed to earn money in order to support her son, she left baby Pierce with his grandparents, Philip and Kathleen Smith, and headed off to London, to train as a nurse. [/h3]

When Pierce was just six-years-old, both his grandparents died, so he was shunted off to be raised by a succession of different relations. In later life, Pierce has said that he remembers spending a great deal of time in his aunt’s pub, and also feeling desperately lonely. “But maybe that’s where the acting comes from”, he added, “from spending so much time alone with your thoughts.”

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Pierce had a tough time of it at school too. For a time, he was unlucky enough to experience the brutal regime of the Christian Brothers at a strict religious school. He recalls being beaten and forcibly indoctrinated with Catholicism. “Religion was rammed down my throat,” he later recalled. The school was eventually closed down due to an article that appeared in the press.

When Pierce was 11, his mother was finally able to afford to bring him over to live with her in London, and he came to live in Putney. His mother was about to get married, to a Scot called Bill Carmichael, who asked Pierce if he minded him marrying his mum. Young Pierce gave the happy couple their blessing, and as a treat, Bill took his new stepson-to-be to the cinema - to see Goldfinger! This was an important turning-point in Pierce’s life, since he claims it was then that he first began to dream of becoming an actor.

Pierce attended school at Elliott Comprehensive, where he was teased and bullied about his Irish accent - in fact, his nickname was “Irish”. In order to avoid continued persecution, he trained himself to speak with an English accent, and wound up speaking with a Cockney twang. Pierce’s best subjects at school were English and Art, but he decided to leave school at 16 nevertheless. He initially thought of training to become a commercial artist, but was already studying drama in his spare time: after a stint at Kennington’s Oval House Theatre Club, in 1973, he enrolled at the Drama Centre in London. He graduated in 1976, and went to work as assistant stage manager at York’s Theatre Royal, where he made his professional stage debut in a play called Wait Until Dark.

Then came Pierce’s first “big break”. He was lucky enough to attract the attention of the famous playwright Tennessee Williams, and was offered the part of McCabe in the British premiere of Williams’ Red Devil Battery Sign at the Roundhouse Theatre, to great critical acclaim. Tennessee Williams sent Pierce a telegram which said, “Thank God for you, my dear boy”, which still has pride of place on Pierce’s wall at home.
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Luckily for Pierce, another famous director, Franco Zeffirelli, also saw him perform in Red Devil Batter Sign, and then invited him to co-star with Joan Plowright (aka Mrs [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/209:0/Laurence_Olivier.htm]Laurence Olivier[/urlnew]) in Filumena, a play was then staging at London’s Lyric Theatre. The play was so successful that it ran for 18 months. Pierce was then offered a part in the BBC production about an Irish betting scam, Murphy’s Stroke, where he played the part of a race-horse trainer

Being talent-spotted by Tennessee Williams and Franco Zeffirelli was just the beginning. A year later, Pierce made his film debut with a tiny bit part in the British mobland thriller, The Long Good Friday. The same year, Pierce also landed a small role in the star-studded [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/976:0/Agatha_Christie.htm]Agatha Christie[/urlnew] movie, The Mirror Crack’d. Far better things were just around the corner, however, and Hollywood was soon to come knocking on Pierce‘s door. His performance in the BBC’s Murphy’s Stroke had been noticed by several American TV producers, and he was soon offered a part in the new US mini-series called The Manions of America. Set in Victorian Philadelphia, The Manions was an epic historical soap opera that followed the triumphs and heartbreaks of two families - one Irish, one English. Pierce gladly accepted the part of Rory O‘Manion - and by a curious coincidence, filming was due to be take place in Ireland.

When Pierce did return to his home country for filming, he was surrounded by a massive wave of press and media interest. In the midst of it all, he was contacted by a distant cousin, who put him back in touch with his biological father. Alas, the two men were never destined to become close. Around the same time, Pierce also met one of the great loves of his life. In 1980, he met and married the actress Cassandra Harris, who was 12 years older than him. Cassandra was a stunning beauty, who’d been featured in society photographer Lord Lichfield’s book, “The World’s Most Beautiful Women”. That same year, Pierce and Cassandra travelled to Corfu, where Cassandra was filming on location. Here, for the first time, Pierce met the James Bond producer Cubby Broccoli. The famous producer was already looking out for a successor to the present Bond, British actor [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/56:0/Roger_Moore.htm]Roger Moore[/urlnew]. Broccoli was immediately struck by Pierce’s handsome appearance, and reportedly said, “If he can act, he’s my guy”. Prophetic words, to be sure, but Pierce was not destined to be Broccoli’s “guy” just yet, at any rate.

Following the launch of The Manions in America, Pierce decided that he really needed to go to Hollywood, so as to maximise any possible casting opportunities for new TV shows or even, hopefully, movies. Ever since seeing Goldfinger at the tender age of 11, Pierce’s heart had been set on the big screen, even if he had to content himself with TV acting for now. By now, Pierce also had three children to consider, for Cassandra had two children from her previous marriage, Charlotte and Christopher, and the couple also had their own son, Sean: but he decided to head off to Los Angeles for two weeks of auditions. Whilst over in the United States, Pierce auditioned for a new series called Remington Steele, which was also set to star Stephanie Zimbalist, who played a private investigator who is reluctantly forced to take on a new partner (the part that came to be played by Pierce.)

Pierce landed the part in Remington Steele, and then moved his whole family out to L.A. Remington Steele began to take off and attracted big ratings, much to the producers’ delight. Pierce’s parts became bigger and bigger, much to Zimbalist’s annoyance - Pierce had originally only been intended to be a sidekick, and now he was taking over the show! The press began to call Pierce “the new [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/301:0/Cary_Grant.htm]Cary Grant[/urlnew]”, and it wasn’t long before he was offered a string of film roles too.
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Pierce acted in Remington Steele until 1987 before moving increasingly into cinema. His first proper film role was in a movie called Nomads, directed by John McTiernan, who later made the action movies Predator and Die Hard. In 1986, Bond producer Cubby Broccoli hoped to cast Pierce as Bond in The Living Daylights, but the producers of Remington Steele refused to release him from his contract, and he was unable to take the part. Pierce made light of the situation by acting in a series of Diet Coke ads, where he spoofed James Bond!

By 1987, Pierce’s film roles had become more serious and challenging; he acted in the thriller The 4th Protocol, and then another mini-series, James Clavell’s Noble House. Here he played the part of Ian Dunross, head of one of the oldest trade houses in Hong Kong. Then came the role of Phileas Fogg in Around The World in 80 Days, swiftly followed by Murder 101 and The Lawnmower Man. In 1993, he surprised movie audiences with a comic turn alongside [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/83:0/Robin_Williams.htm]Robin Williams[/urlnew] in the blockbuster, Mrs Doubtfire. And in 1994, he got the phone call he’d been waiting for so many years, when Cubby Broccoli called to offer him the part of James Bond in the new Bond movie, GoldenEye. This was the first Bond film that was not based on an original [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/1378:0/Ian_Fleming.htm]Ian Fleming[/urlnew] novel. Pierce was already widely tipped to be the new Bond, cornering 70% of a public opinion poll, beating out [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/1767:0/Ralph_Fiennes.htm]Ralph Fiennes[/urlnew], [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/559:0/Hugh_Grant.htm]Hugh Grant[/urlnew] and even [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/16:0/Mel_Gibson.htm]Mel Gibson[/urlnew].

Pierce is on record as saying that he was glad he’d missed out on the Bond part first time round, as he thought that Bond should be about 40, suave and worldly-wise. The public was not disappointed, as this was a bigger, flashier James Bond movie than ever. The film was a massive box-office success, taking $350 million, which was the biggest take so far. Brosnan had now become solidly established as a leading Hollywood player, but he continued to play other roles, as well as James Bond. He co-starred with Barbra Streisand in The Mirror Has Two Faces, and then showed his gift for comedy once again in [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/820:0/Tim_Burton.htm]Tim Burton’s[/urlnew] Mars Attacks!, where he played a flirtatious professor.

Then he returned to Bond movies with Tomorrow Never Dies, taking on villainous media mogul Jonathan Pryce. Meanwhile, he’d started his own production company, Dreamtime, and now produced and starred in a film called The Nephew. Next came a remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, where Pierce played a playboy thief who’s investigated by Rene Russo. In 2002, Brosnan starred in the 20th official James Bond movie, Die Another Day, where James Bond crosses the world to prevent a war! Sadly, this was to be Brosnan’s last outing as James Bond, although the public didn’t know it yet. Rumour had it that Pierce had been asked to do another film, but that the producers had changed their minds, leaving him angry and feeling let down. Audiences had to content themselves with seeing Pierce in After The Sunset, where he co-starred with [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/1372:0/Salma_Hayek.htm]Salma Hayek[/urlnew], and played the part of a master jewel thief. Pierce’s most recent movies have included The Matador, where he played a seedy hitman, and co-starred with Greg Kinnear, and the wacky Instant Karma (half film, half CGI), where he plays a safecracker who reincarnates in the bodies of a series of animals!
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Despite his rocky start in life, Pierce’s acting career has gone from strength to strength as the decades have unfolded, but his personal life has been marked by great tragedy. Pierce’s first wife Cassandra was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1987, and despite battling the disease bravely, died in his arms in 1991. In 1994, he found love again with journalist Keely Shaye Smith, a former actress, who came to interview him for Entertainment Tonight. Pierce’s new romance blossomed slowly, and he and Keely did not marry until 2001, when they tied the knot at a church in County Mayo in Ireland. Pierce and Keely have two sons, Dylan Thomas and Paris Beckett.

Despite his high-flying career, Pierce and his second wife find time to be involved in a wide range of charitable activities, including clearing up landmines, helping to save the environment, and various women’s and children’s charities. In 2003, Pierce received an Honorary OBE for his charitable work. In 2004, he became a US citizen, although he has remained an Irish citizen. This is an accurate reflection of Pierce’s life, for despite being one of Hollywood’s leading men, he spends as much time working at home in Ireland as he can.

[i]Jane Bowles[/i]
Pierce Brosnan biography



- Is born under the astrological star sign of Taurus.

- Is a fan of Doctor Who.

- Claims the very first film he ever saw was Goldfinger.

- Is the third actor to play James Bond in more than two films; the other actors to do so are Sean Connery and Roger Moore.

- Voted “Sexiest Man Alive” by People Magazine in 2001.

- Was voted 6th in the Orange 2001 film survey of Greatet British Film Actors Ever.

- Bought Ian Fleming’s old typewriter for £52,800.

- Was made a freeman of Navan, his Irish home town, in November 1999.

- Flew to England to join his mother on the same day Ian Fleming died.

- Studied under Yat Malmgren, a dance and drama teacher who also taught Sean Connery.

- Says that his favourite Bond movies are From Russia With Love(1963) and For Your Eyes Only (1981).

- Says his least favourite Bond movie is On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969).

- Was considered for the role of Bruce Wayne in Batman.

- Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

- Is a highly vocal supporter of gay marriage.

- Was paid $16.5 million for playing James Bond in Die Another Day.
Pierce Brosnan biography



The Thomas Crown Affair II (2009)

Mama Mia! (2008)

The Big Biazarro (2008)

In Bloom (2007)

Married Life (2007)

Shattered (2007)

The 2006 FIFA World Cup Film: The Finale (2006)

Seraphim Falls (2006)

Mexicali (2005)

Instant Karma (2005)

The Matador (2004)

After the Sunset (2004)

Laws of Attraction (2004)

James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (2004)

Nothing (2003)

Die Another Day (2002)

Evelyn (2002)

The Tailor of Panama (2001)

The World Is Not Enough (2000)

Grey Owl (1999)

The Match (1999)

The Thomas Crown Affair(1999)

The Nephew 1998)

Quest for Camelot (1998)

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Robinson Crusoe (1997)

Dante's Peak (1997)

Mars Attacks! (1996)

The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)

GoldenEye (1995)

Love Affair (1994)

Entangled (1993)

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Live Wire (1992)

The Lawnmower Man (1992)

Mister Johnson (1990)

"Around the World in 80 Days" (1989/I) (mini) TV Series

The Deceivers (1988)

Taffin (1988)

The Fourth Protocol (1987)

Nomads (1986)

The Long Good Friday (1980)

The Carpathian Eagle (1980)

Resting Rough (1979)
Pierce Brosnan biography

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