Pierce Brosnan Biography

Pierce Brosnan, Actor

Birthdate: May 16, 1973

Birthplace: Ireland

Sign: Taurus

Pierce Brendan Brosnan was born an only child on May 16, 1953 in Ireland. His mother moved to London to work after his father abandoned them. At age 11, Brosnan joined his mother to London. He welcomed his mother's new husband as his own father.

Brosnan left school at 16. He decided to be an artist and began training in commercial illustration at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. He also trained for three years at the Drama Centre in London.

His first job in the entertainment industry was as acting assistant stage manager at the York Theatre Royal. He made his first stage appearance in "Wait Until Dark." He was then selected by playwright Tennessee Williams to play McCabe in the premiere of "The Red Devil Battery Sign." The audience noticed Brosnan's superb performance. From then on, he continued his acting career by landing short roles in films such as "The Long Good Friday," and "The Mirror Crack'd" and TV programs like "Murphy's Stroke" and "Play for Today."

He landed a lead role in the miniseries "Manions of America," which made him a television star in the United States. In 1982, he played Robert Gould Shaw II in the documentary on the life of Lady Nancy Astor. He won a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the role.

After appearing in several movies and TV roles, Brosnan was approached to play the role of a lifetime. Producer Albert Broccoli first spotted him while he was visiting his first wife Cassandra Harris on the set of "For Your Eyes Only." Broccoli had then said if he can act, then he's his guy, referring to the character of James Bond. It was in 1994 when Timothy Dalton turned down his third turn as the English spy that Brosnan got the part. On July 7, 1994, it was officially announced that Brosnan will play James Bond.

It was an ironic twist for Brosnan, who said that the first movie he ever saw was a James Bond film entitled "Gold Finger" and that it was Sean Connery's performance as Bond that inspired him to enter the entertainment business. He signed on to play for three films with an option for a fourth. His first Bond film was 1995's "GoldenEye." His performance garnered critical praise and the film was the fourth highest worldwide gross film in 1995, with $350 million. He returned in "Tomorrow Never Dies" in 1997 and "The World Is Not Enough" in 1999. His fourth film was in 2002's "Die Another Day."

To avoid being typecasted, he had appeared in a few films in between Bond movies. Brosnan played a variety of roles that is different from his Bond appearance, from a nerdy scientist in "Mars Attacks!" to a volcanologist in "Dante's Peak." After James Bond, his first film was in 2004's "Laws of Attraction," which had opened to good reviews.

He was awarded an honorary OBE in 2003 by Queen Elizabeth II. The title is for his "outstanding contribution to the British film industry." Being an Irish, he is ineligible to receive the full honor.

His first wife was Australian actress Cassandra Harris, who he married in 1980. He adopted her two children after their father died in 1986. They had one son together named Sean, who was born on September 13, 1983. Harris died of ovarian cancer in 1991.

Brosnan married journalist Keely Shaye Smith 11 years after his first wife died. They have two sons, Dylan Thomas (born January 13, 1997) and Paris Beckett (born February 27, 2001).

He became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. on September 23, 2004, but still retained his Irish citizenship.