Pierce Brosnan Biography

Pierce Brendan Brosnan was born on 16 May 1953, in Ireland, to Thomas, a carpenter, and Mary May Smith. His father abandoned the family when Pierce was still a baby.

His mother left him under the care of her parents and went to London to train as a nurse.

He spent his childhood, living in the homes of his relatives after the death of his grandparents.

He was reunited with his mother when he was 11. His mother, now married to William Carmichael, took her son to London.

He attended ‘Elliot School.’ After leaving school, he went to ‘Saint Martin’s School of Art’ to study commercial illustration.

He later decided that he wanted to become an actor and joined the ‘Drama Centre London’ from where he graduated in 1975.

He worked as an acting assistant stage manager at the ‘York Theatre Royal’ in 1975. He was chosen by playwright Tennessee Williams for the role of McCabe in ‘The Red Devil Battery Sign.’ His performance was critically acclaimed.

Throughout the 1970s and early-1980s, he played minor roles in television and films.

After moving to the U.S., he was cast in the television series ‘Remington Steele’ in 1982. The series was very successful and ran for five seasons till 1987. Pierce Brosnan’s good looks and skills earned him considerable attention.

In 1987, he appeared in the ‘Cold War’ spy film ‘The Fourth Protocol’ which also featured Michael Caine. The story focused on a clause of the 1968 East-West agreement to halt nuclear proliferation.

He portrayed Phileas Fogg in the 1989 three-part television miniseries ‘Around the World in 80 Days.’ The series was loved by the audience and got three ‘Emmy’ nominations.

During the early-1990s, he appeared in several television films, including ‘Murder 101’ (1991) and ‘Death Train’ (1993).

In 1993, he played a supporting role in the comedy film ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ which went on to become a huge commercial hit.

In 1994, he was offered a contract to play the secret agent James Bond in three movies with the option of playing the role in the fourth film.

His first James Bond movie ‘GoldenEye’ was released in 1995 and went on to become one of the most successful Bond movies to date.

His second Bond movie ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997) was about the agent’s attempt to prevent a media mogul from manipulating world events to start ‘World War III.’

He reprised the role of James Bond in ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999). The movie’s plot revolved around the murder of a billionaire by a terrorist.

In 2002, he appeared in his last Bond movie, ‘Die Another Day.’ The film, which marked the franchise’s 40th anniversary, was also one of the highest-grossing Bond movies to date.

He co-starred with Greg Kinnear in the 2005 dark comedy ‘The Matador.’ The film’s unique theme and Brosnan’s performance earned favorable reviews.

In 2010, he starred as Adam Lang in ‘The Ghost Writer,’ a political thriller directed by Roman Polanski. The film won several cinematic awards.

His other works include ‘Bag of Bones’ (2011), ‘Love Is All You Need’ (2012), and ‘The World’s End’ (2013).

Brosnan then experimented with different genres, including romantic comedy, thriller, action-adventure, and dark comedy. He went on to appear in movies like ‘A Long Way Down’ (2014), ‘Some Kind of Beautiful’ (2014), ‘Survivor’ (2015), ‘Urge’ (2016), and ‘The Foreigner’ (2017).

In 2018, he reprised his role as Sam Carmichael from the super hit 2008 movie ‘Mamma Mia!’ He appeared alongside actors like Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård in the romantic musical comedy ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.’ Though the movie was a smash hit, it could not beat its predecessor.

In 2020, he played the role of ‘Erick Erickssong’ in the David Dobkin-directed American musical comedy film ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.’ The film received a mixed response from critics and earned a 63% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. He was next seen in films such as ‘Riverdance: The Animated Adventure’ (2021), ‘The Misfits’ (2021), ‘False Positive’ (2021), ‘Cinderella’ (2021), and ‘The King's Daughter’ (2022).

He portrayed ‘Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate’ in the 2022 American superhero film ‘Black Adam’ directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. The film opened to a mixed reception and was a commercial failure. 

In 2023, he starred as ‘Billy McDermott’ in the Tyler Spindel-directed action comedy film ‘The Out-Laws.’ The film was released on Netflix and received mostly negative reviews from critics. That same year, he also portrayed ‘Charlie Swift’ in the action-adventure ‘Fast Charlie’ directed by Phillip Noyce. The film holds an 87% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

He is best known for portraying James Bond in four movies of the James Bond film franchise. With his good looks and charming personality, he was regarded as the best fit for playing the legendary fictional character.

He won the ‘Saturn Award’ for ‘Best Actor’ for playing James Bond in ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ in 1998.

He was given the ‘Empire Award’ for ‘Best Actor’ for his role in ‘The World is Not Enough’ in 2000.

In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II honored him with an ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ for his outstanding contribution to British Cinema.

He married actress Cassandra Harris in 1980 and adopted her two children from a previous marriage. The couple also had a son together. Their married life was cut short by Cassandra’s untimely death from cancer in 1991.

He married Keely Shaye Smith in 2001. They have two children together.

He has been an ambassador for ‘UNICEF Ireland’ since 2001. He is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage.

In 2004, Brosnan became a citizen of the United States, while retaining his Irish citizenship.

Brosnan is not only a talented actor but also a skilled painter.

In addition to his acting career, Brosnan is also a devoted environmentalist.