PIERCE BROSNAN (James Bond) has reinvigorated the popularity of the James Bond legacy since making his debut as the world famous spy in GoldenEye™. He’s gone on to make the role his own, starring in the subsequent blockbuster hits Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough. These three films set records, achieving combined worldwide boxoffice earnings of well over a billion dollars.
While perhaps best known for playing suave, sophisticated heroes, Brosnan is also receiving great acclaim for his performance as a different kind of hero in Bruce Beresford’s soon-to-be-released Evelyn, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Also starring Aidan Quinn, Julianna Margulies, Stephen Rea, and Alan Bates, Evelyn tells the real-life story of Desmond Doyle, a father who takes his fight to be reunited with his children all the way to the Irish Supreme Court. Brosnan also recently earned kudos for his turn in John Boorman’s The Tailor of Panama.
Brosnan continues to expand the range of his work through his own production company, Irish DreamTime, which was launched in 1998 with his production partner and co-producer Beau St. Clair. The company’s first project was The Nephew, an intimate independent film that received extensive festival acclaim. Brosnan also produced and starred opposite Rene Russo in the company’s first studio project, The Thomas Crown Affair, directed by John McTiernan. Evelyn, directed by Bruce Beresford, is also an Irish DreamTime film.
Born in County Meath, Ireland, in 1953, Brosnan moved to London at age 11. On leaving school, he worked as a trainee commercial artist at Ravenna Studios while attending Oval House Theatre at Kennington Oval, where he explored experimental theater. A fellow employee at Ravenna introduced Brosnan to theatrical workshops, and he enrolled in a 3-year course at The Drama Centre in North London.
After completing his training, Brosnan then went straight into a job as an acting assistant stage manager and repertory actor at The Theatre Royal, York. Six months later he was selected by the eminent Tennessee Williams to take on the role of McCabe in the British premiere of Red Devil Battery Sign. He also starred in other London stage productions such as Zeffirelli’s production of Filumena and Wait Until Dark at the York Theatre.
In 1981, Brosnan was selected to play the lead in the American miniseries The Manions of America, which brought the actor his first U.S. acclaim. This led to his being cast as Remington Steele, one of the most widely viewed syndicated series of all time, worldwide. He earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Nancy Astor, a 13-part television series for the BBC. These successes saw his subsequent involvement in such top-rated American miniseries as Around the World in Eighty Days and Noble House.
Brosnan’s films include The Fourth Protocol, The Deceivers, Bruce Beresford’s Mr. Johnson, Lawnmower Man, Love Affair, Dante’s Peak, and Sir Richard Attenborough’s Grey Owl. He’s also proved himself adept at comedy in such films as Mrs. Doubtfire, The Mirror Has Two Faces, and Mars Attacks.
In addition to his dynamic film career, Brosnan, together with his wife Keely Shaye Smith, has been drawn into a passionate leadership role in environmental issues. They’re actively involved in many conservation organizations, particularly in support of marine mammal rights. Both the Environmental Media Association and Women in Film have honored them jointly with Humanitarian awards for their work. Brosnan now serves as Campaign Chairman for the Entertainment Industry Foundation, which raised and distributed $45,000,000 last year. In 1997, Green Cross International President Mikhail Gorbachev presented him with the organization’s Environmental Leadership Award.
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