Brosnan has received twoGolden Globe Award nominations forNancy Astor (1982) andThe Matador (2005). In 1996, he and American film producerBeau St. Clair founded the production company Irish DreamTime.[3] He is also known for charitable work and environmental activism. In 1997, he received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the film industry.[4] In 2020, he was listed at No. 15 onThe Irish Times' list of the greatest Irish film actors.[5]
Brosnan was born on 16 May 1953[6] inDrogheda, County Louth,[6] the only child of May (née Smith) and Thomas Brosnan, a carpenter. For 11 years, he lived inNavan, County Meath, and said in 1999 that he considers it to be his hometown.[7] His father abandoned the family when Brosnan was an infant. When he was four years old, his mother moved toLondon to work as a nurse. From then on, he was largely brought up by his maternal grandparents, Philip and Kathleen Smith. After their deaths, he lived with an aunt and then an uncle, but was subsequently sent to live in aboarding house run by a woman named Eileen. He later said, "Childhood was fairly solitary. I never knew my father. He left when I was an infant. [...] To beIrish Catholic in the 1950s, and have a marriage which was not there, a father who was not there [...] the mother, the wife suffered greatly. My mother was very courageous. She took the bold steps to go away and be a nurse in England. Basically wanting a better life for her and myself. My mother came home once a year, twice a year."[8]
Brosnan was brought up in a Catholic family,[9][10][11] and educated in a local school run by theDe La Salle Brothers while serving as analtar boy.[11] He left Ireland on 12 August 1964 and went to Scotland to be reunited with his mother and her new husband, William Carmichael, at their home inLongniddry.[12][13] Carmichael took Brosnan to see a James Bond film for the first time (Goldfinger) at the age of 11.[14] They later moved back to London, where Brosnan was educated atElliott School inPutney, now known asArk Putney Academy.[8][15] When discussing his transition from Ireland to England, he said, "When you go to a very large city, a metropolis like London, as an Irish boy of 10, life suddenly moves pretty fast. [...] And you're Irish. And they make you feel it; the British have a wonderful way of doing that, and I had a certain deep sense of being an outsider."[8] His nickname at school was simply "Irish".[16]
After leaving school at 16, Brosnan decided to be a painter and began training in commercial illustration atSaint Martin's School of Art in London.[17][18] While attending a rehearsal for a workshop at theOvalhouse, he saw afire eater teaching people how to eat fire and decided to join in.[19] He trained for three years as an actor at theDrama Centre London.[20] Describing the feeling of becoming an actor and the influence it had on his life, he said, "When I found acting, or when acting found me, it was a liberation. It was a stepping stone into another life, away from a life that I had, and acting was something I was good at, something which was appreciated. That was a great satisfaction in my life."[8]
Graduating from the Drama Centre in 1975, Brosnan began working as an acting assistant stage manager at theYork Theatre Royal, making his acting debut inWait Until Dark. Within six months, he was selected by the playwrightTennessee Williams to play the role of McCabe in the British première ofThe Red Devil Battery Sign (billed as "Pierce Brosman").[21] His performance caused a stir in London and Brosnan still has the telegram sent by Williams, stating only "Thank God for you, my dear boy".[22] In 1977, he was picked byFranco Zeffirelli to appear in the playFilumena byEduardo De Filippo oppositeJoan Plowright andFrank Finlay.[23]
Brosnan first met James Bond film producerAlbert R. Broccoli on the sets ofFor Your Eyes Only, as his first wife,Cassandra Harris, had been cast as Countess Lisl von Schlaf, mistress to Milos Columbo. Broccoli said, "if he can act ... he's my guy" to inherit the role of Bond fromRoger Moore.[26] It was reported by bothEntertainment Tonight and theNational Enquirer that Brosnan was going to inherit another role of Moore's, that ofSimon Templar inThe Saint.[26] Brosnan denied the rumours in July 1993 but added, "it's still languishing there on someone's desk in Hollywood."[29]
In 1986,NBC cancelledRemington Steele. As Brosnan was offered the role of James Bond, the publicity improvedRemington Steele's ratings and it was renewed, contractually requiring Brosnan to return to the show. This caused Eon Productions to have to look elsewhere for the new 007.[26][30] The producers instead hiredTimothy Dalton forThe Living Daylights (1987) andLicence to Kill (1989).[31] While Brosnan was reluctant to discuss losing the Bond role, in part because Dalton was a friend, he appeared inDiet Coke commercials portraying what theLos Angeles Times described as "a dashing Bond-like character", and NBC advertisedNoble House with Brosnan dressed in a Bond-like tuxedo.[30]
Legal disputes between the Bond producers and the studio over distribution rights resulted in the cancellation of a proposed third Dalton film in 1991[32] and put the Bond series on a hiatus for several years. After the legal issues had been resolved, Dalton decided not to return for a third film. On 7 June 1994, Brosnan was announced as the fifth actor to play Bond.[26]
Brosnan was signed for a three-film Bond deal with the option of a fourth. The first, 1995'sGoldenEye, grossed US$350 million worldwide,[33] the fourth-highest worldwide gross of any film in 1995,[34] making it the most successful Bond film sinceMoonraker, adjusted for inflation.[35] It holds a 78% rating onRotten Tomatoes,[36] whileMetacritic holds it at 65%.[37] In theChicago Sun-Times,Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4, saying that Brosnan's Bond was "somehow more sensitive, more vulnerable, more psychologically complete" than the previous ones, also commenting on Bond's "loss of innocence" since previous films.[38]James Berardinelli described Brosnan as "a decided improvement over his immediate predecessor" with a "flair for wit to go along with his natural charm", but added that "fully one-quarter ofGoldeneye is momentum-killing padding."[39]
Wax figure of Brosnan as James Bond atMadame Tussauds, London
Brosnan returned as Bond in 1997'sTomorrow Never Dies, 1999'sThe World Is Not Enough, and 2002'sDie Another Day: all three movies received mixed reviews, but were a success at the box office; Brosnan himself subsequently criticised many aspects of his fourth Bond movie. During the promotion for the fourth movie, he mentioned that he would like to continue his role as James Bond: "I'd like to do another, sure.Connery did six. Six would be a number, then never come back."[1]
When accepting the Bond role, Brosnan askedEon Productions to be allowed to work on other projects between Bond films. The request was granted, and for every Bond film, Brosnan appeared in at least two other mainstream films, including several he produced,[16] playing a wide range of roles, ranging from a scientist inTim Burton'sMars Attacks!, to the title role inGrey Owl, which documents the life of EnglishmanArchibald Stansfeld Belaney, one of Canada's first conservationists.
In 1996, Brosnan formed a film production company called Irish DreamTime along with producing partner and longtime friendBeau St. Clair.[6] Brosnan and St. Clair released Irish DreamTime's first production,The Nephew, in 1998.[40] One year later, the company's second studio project,The Thomas Crown Affair, was released and met both critical and box office success.[41]
Shortly after the release ofDie Another Day, the media began questioning whether or not Brosnan would reprise the role for a fifth time. At that time, Brosnan was approaching his 50th birthday. Brosnan kept in mind that both fans and critics were very unhappy with Roger Moore playing the role until the age of 57, but he was receiving popular support from both critics and the franchise fanbase for a fifth instalment. For this reason, he remained enthusiastic about reprising his role.[42] In October 2004, Brosnan said he considered himself dismissed from the role.[43] Although Brosnan had frequently been rumoured as still in the running to play Bond, he had denied it several times, and in February 2005 he posted on his website that he was finished with the role.[44]Daniel Craig took over the role on 14 October 2005.[45] In an interview withThe Globe and Mail, Brosnan was asked what he thought of Craig as the new James Bond. He replied, "I'm looking forward to it like we're all looking forward to it. Daniel Craig is a great actor and he's going to do a fantastic job."[46] He re-affirmed this support in an interview to theInternational Herald Tribune, stating that "[Craig's] on his way to becoming a memorable Bond."[47] Brosnan later admitted that he was hurt by the end of his tenure; "Barbara [Broccoli] and Michael [Wilson] were on the line – 'We're so sorry.' She was crying, Michael was stoic and he said, 'You were a great James Bond. Thank you very much,' and I said, 'Thank you very much. Goodbye.' That was it. I was utterly shocked and just kicked to the kerb with the way it went down."[48]
In 2007, Brosnan appeared in the filmSeraphim Falls alongside fellow IrishmanLiam Neeson. The film opened in limited released on 26 January 2007 to average reviews. Kevin Crust of theLos Angeles Times noted that Brosnan and Neeson made "fine adversaries";[58] Michael Rechtshaffen ofThe Hollywood Reporter thought that they were "hard-pressed to inject some much-needed vitality into their sparse lines".[59] During the same year, Brosnan spoke of making a western with fellow Irish actorsGabriel Byrne andColm Meaney.[60] In that same year Brosnan starred as Tom Ryan inButterfly on a Wheel. The film was released in the United States under the name ofShattered and in Europe asDesperate Hours.[citation needed]
In 2008, Brosnan joinedMeryl Streep inthe film adaptation of theABBA musicalMamma Mia!.[61] He played Sam Carmichael, one of three men believed to be the father of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), while Streep played Sophie's mother.[62]Judy Craymer, producer of the film, said "Pierce brings a certain smooch factor, and we think he'll have great chemistry with Meryl in a romantic comedy."[63] Brosnan's preparation in singing for the role included walking up and down the coast and singingkaraoke to his own voice for about six weeks, followed by rehearsals in New York, which he noted "sounded dreadful".[64] Brosnan's singing in the film was generally disparaged by critics, with his singing compared in separate reviews to the sound of awater buffalo,[65] adonkey,[66] and a woundedraccoon.[67] Brosnan provided as a guest star narrator for theThomas & Friends movieThe Great Discovery (2008).[68] He was originally set to narrate for both UK and US dubs fromSeries 12 toSeries 16, but withdrew from it for unknown reasons.[68]
In 2013, Brosnan was awarded honorary patronage ofDublin University Players atTrinity College Dublin.[70] He also starred oppositeOwen Wilson inNo Escape, playing a "heroic government agent".[71] Brosnan was slated to star inLast Man Out, a crime film adapted from Stuart Neville's novel titledThe Twelve (released asGhosts of Belfast in the US) byCraig Ferguson and Ted Mulkerin, with director Terry Loan at the helm.[72] However, it never came to fruition after years in development, and Brosnan is no longer attached to the production.
In 2013, Brosnan appeared in television commercials as a tongue-in-cheek version of himself to promote the launch ofSky Broadband in Ireland.[73] In 2014, Brosnan starred inThe November Man, an adaptation ofBill Granger's action novel,There Are No Spies, playing a retired CIA operative called Devereaux, alongside co-starOlga Kurylenko in a supporting role.[74] The project had been indevelopment limbo for almost a decade.[75][76] The film was received negatively, with a 34% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 38/100 on Metacritic.[77][78] In 2015, he appeared alongsideMilla Jovovich in a suspense thriller movie written by Phil Shelby, calledSurvivor, withCharles andIrwin Winkler producing, andJames McTeigue directing.[79] Brosnan later starred in a revenge thriller calledI.T. (2016),[80] which opened in limited release throughvideo on demand.[81]
Brosnan in 2019
Brosnan replaced actorSam Neill in the role of Eli McCullough in a television adaptation ofPhilipp Meyer's novelThe Son, withKevin Murphy serving as both executive producer and showrunner of the series, which aired for two seasons from 2017 to 2019.[82] In 2017, Brosnan starred inThe Foreigner, oppositeJackie Chan, as a formerIRA man turned government official, Liam Hennessy.The Foreigner was filmed in London, and was directed byMartin Campbell, who previously worked with Brosnan on his debut James Bond film,GoldenEye. It was noted that Brosnan's character bore a strong resemblance toSinn Féin leaderGerry Adams.[83]
A third collaboration with director Martin Campbell would have seen Brosnan starring in a film adaptation ofErnest Hemingway's 1950 novelAcross the River and into the Trees.[84] However, the reluctance of investors to finance the production along with several delays led both Brosnan and Campbell to drop out of the project.Paula Ortiz was later brought on to direct the film andLiev Schreiber replaced Brosnan in the lead role.[85][86]
In 2021, Brosnan executive produced and starred in the heist caper entitledThe Misfits directed byRenny Harlin from a screenplay by Robert Henry andKurt Wimmer.[90][91][92][93] The film was released to poor reception from critics.[94] He also appeared inA24's horror filmFalse Positive oppositeIlana Glazer, who co-wrote and co-produced it, as well. The film was a moderate success.
Brosnan was set to star oppositeJamie Dornan andCillian Murphy in a film based on the events ofThe Maze Prison Escape titledH-Block withJim Sheridan at the helm.[100] Initially, filming was to begin sometime in August 2017 before its postponement to March 2018 due to scheduling conflicts with cast members.[101] As of today, preliminary production on the film is yet to commence.
AlongsideJesse Eisenberg andVanessa Redgrave, Brosnan is set to appear in a historical period piece based on a novel byJonathan Miles titledThe Wreck of The Medusa, set against the backdrop of the early 19th century duringKing Louis XVIII's reign in France, with the film to be directed byPeter Webber.[102] During an interview in October 2020, Webber claimed that the lack of interest in "films about artists" in the market earned the project several setbacks, and as such still remains in development.[103]
Brosnan during his time as an environmental spokesman forPacific Green in the late 1990s
Brosnan has been an Ambassador forUNICEF Ireland since 2001—following in the footsteps of Bond actor Roger Moore, who had been a Goodwill Ambassador from 1991 until his death in 2017—and recorded a special announcement to mark the launch of UNICEF's "Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS" Campaign withLiam Neeson.[104] Brosnan supportedJohn Kerry in the2004 presidential election and is a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage.[105]
In May 2007, Brosnan and Smith donated $100,000 to help replace a playground on the Hawaiian island ofKauai, where they own a house.[109] On 7 July 2007, Brosnan presented a film atLive Earth in London;[110] he also recorded a television advertisement for the cause.[6]
Brosnan is also listed as a member of theSea Shepherd Conservation Society's Board of Advisors.[111] In 2004, he was named 'Best-dressed Environmentalist' by the Sustainable Style Foundation.[112]
Brosnan also raises money for charitable causes through sales of his paintings. After Brosnan left school, he pursued a career in art and began working as an illustrator. "I always wanted to be an artist, a painter. I started as a Trainee Artist in a small studio in South London." A colleague suggested that Pierce attend a theatre workshop, and eventually he abandoned his artwork to pursue a career in acting. Brosnan took up painting again in the late 1980s during his first wife's illness as he found it therapeutic. "Sometimes dramatic moments affect the way you see yourself in the world…from a very hard time in my life, I started painting again and out came every colour I could imagine." Citing his influences as Picasso, Matisse, Bonnard, and Kandinsky, Brosnan spends much of his free time between film shoots in front of his easel. "I am self taught, an enthusiastic painter as a friend of mine likes to say."[113] He has continued painting since then, using spare time on set and at home. Profits from sales ofgiclée prints of his works are given to a trust to benefit "environmental, children's and women's health charities".[6] Since Harris' death, Brosnan has been an advocate for cancer awareness and, in 2006, he served as spokesperson forLee National Denim Day, a breast cancer fundraiser which raises millions of dollars and raises more money in a single day than any other breast cancer fundraiser.[114]
In 2021, Brosnan launched his first-everNFT collection of digital artworks entitled "Big Noise" – on a digital platform focusing on artist empowerment, sustainability, and technical innovation – inspired by his paintingEarplugs, which he painted while filming the James Bond filmGoldenEye, incorporating abstract movement, self-recorded sound elements, including his voice, and bespoke visuals.[115]
Brosnan has married twice, was widowed once, and has five children and four grandchildren.[116][117] He met Australian actressCassandra Harris through David Harris, the younger brother ofRichard Harris, shortly after leaving drama school.[6] On meeting her, he said, "What a beautiful-looking woman. I never for an instant thought she was someone I'd spend 17 years of my life with. I didn't think of wooing her, or attempting to woo her; I just wanted to enjoy her beauty and who she was."[8] They began dating and bought a house inWimbledon. They married in December 1980 and had one son together, Sean, who was born on 13 September 1983 and later became an actor. They also raised Harris's two children from her prior marriage, Charlotte (1971–2013) and Chris. Brosnan adopted them after their father Dermot Harris died in 1986; they subsequently took his surname.[6][118] Early in their relationship, Brosnan worked in West End plays and television films.[8] After Harris appeared in the James Bond filmFor Your Eyes Only in 1981, they secured a bank loan and moved toSouthern California, where Brosnan was cast in the title role of the TV seriesRemington Steele, easing their financial worries.[citation needed]
An episode ofRemington Steele that was filmed in Ireland generated significant publicity. This led to Brosnan meeting his father, who had left when Brosnan was an infant, at his hotel. He expected to see a "very tall man" but instead described his father as "a man of medium stature, pushed-back silver hair, flinty eyes, and a twizzled jaw" who "had a very strongKerry accent".[8] He was regretful that they met under such public circumstances and wished for a more private arrangement.[8]
While filmingThe Deceivers inRajasthan in 1987, Harris became seriously ill. She was later diagnosed withovarian cancer and died on 28 December 1991.[119] Brosnan struggled to cope with her death:[8]
When your partner gets cancer, then life changes. Your timetable and reference for your normal routines and the way you view life, all this changes. Because you're dealing with death. You're dealing with the possibility of death and dying. And it was that way through thechemotherapy, through the first-look operation, the second look, the third look, the fourth look, the fifth look. Cassie was very positive about life. I mean, she had the most amazing energy and outlook on life. It was and is a terrible loss, and I see it reflected, from time to time, in my children.
Harris had always wanted Brosnan to play James Bond; in 1995, four years after her death, Brosnan secured the role. His adopted daughter Charlotte also died of ovarian cancer, on 28 June 2013.[120]
In 1994, Brosnan met American journalistKeely Shaye Smith in Mexico. They were married in 2001 atBallintubber Abbey in Ireland.[6] They have two sons together named Dylan and Paris.[121] They primarily live inMalibu, California, with a second American home inHawaii. He has no permanent residences in Ireland. On 11 February 2015, the $18 million Malibu home caught fire and sustained $1 million in damages. During the 30 minutes it took firefighters to extinguish the fire, flames destroyed the contents of the garage, including Brosnan's 2002Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, and spread to a bedroom above it; no injuries were sustained.[122][123]
In July 2003,Queen Elizabeth II made Brosnan anHonorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his "outstanding contribution to the British film industry".[124] As an Irish citizen, he is only an honorary appointee of the order and ineligible to receive the full honour, which is awarded only to a citizen of theCommonwealth realms, but he is still allowed the letters "OBE" after his name. In 2002, he was also awarded an honorary degree from theDublin Institute of Technology[125] and, a year later, theUniversity College Cork.[126] On 23 September 2004, he became an American citizen while retaining his Irish citizenship. He said, "My Irishness is in everything I do. It's the spirit of who I am, as a man, an actor, a father. It's where I come from."[1] When asked by a fan if it annoyed him when people confused his nationality because of his fairly neutral accent, he said, "It amuses me in some respects that they should confuse me with an Englishman when I'm a dyed-in-the-wool, born and bred Irishman... I don't necessarily fly under any flag, but no, it doesn't bother me."[127]
It always helps to have a bit of prayer in your back pocket. At the end of the day, you have to have something and for me that is God, Jesus, my Catholic upbringing, my faith... God has been good to me. My faith has been good to me in the moments of deepest suffering, doubt and fear. It is a constant, the language of prayer. I might not have got my sums right from the Christian Brothers or might not have got the greatest learning of literature from them, but I certainly got a strapping amount of faith.
He attendsMass but also adheres to other spiritual beliefs, saying in 2008 that he loves "the teachings ofBuddhist philosophy", which he referred to as his "own private faith". He elaborated, "I don't preach it, but it's a faith that is a comfort to me when the night is long."[11]
^Farndale, Nigel (29 January 2008)."Pierce Brosnan: James who?".The Daily Telegraph.Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved11 September 2010.
^Field, Matthew; Chowdhury, Ajay (2015).Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England:The History Press.ISBN978-0750966504.
^Rechtshaffen, Michael (18 September 2006)."Seraphim Falls".The Hollywood Reporter. Archived fromthe original on 19 January 2007. Retrieved19 February 2007.
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