Pierce Brosnan turns 70: more than James Bond

Irish actor Pierce Brosnan (70) was born on May 16, 1953 in Drogheda. The blue-eyed mime, who has always enchanted cinema and TV viewers with his extraordinarily good looks, gained worldwide fame as the fifth actor in super spy James Bond. From 1995 and the much-loved “GoldenEye” Brosnan embodied 007 in a total of four films. His time as Bond ended in 2002 with “Die Another Day”.

Looking back, Brosnan said, “Bond is a gift that will last a lifetime and has given me a wonderful career. Once you’ve become Bond it stays with you, so you better make your peace with it”.

Failed 007

Brosnan began his career – like many of his contemporaries – in the British theater. His first significant role in Tennessee Williams’ (1911-1983) “The Red Devil Battery Sign” caused such a stir in London in 1977 that the legendary playwright himself sent him a telegram with the words “I thank God for you, my dear boy” sent.

“It was a confirmation that I was on the right track, that I have the talent – that I have a little bit of gold in my back pocket,” Brosnan recalled of Williams’ praise at the time. “It made me want to be an actor.”

With his first wife Cassandra Harris (1948-1991), a former Bond girl, he moved to the USA in the early 1980s and was introduced to US television audiences as the charming title character in the romantic detective series “Remington Steele” (1982-1987). known.

Already after Roger Moore’s (1927-2017) last Bond appearance in “A View to a Kill” (1985), Brosnan was supposed to become 007 in the mid-1980s, but tragically his “Remington Steele” commitment prevented the dream role. The Brit Timothy Dalton (77) became the fourth Bond actor in the official Eon series in “The Living Daylights” (1987).

: “I was originally offered the role of 007 in ‘The Living Daylights’. I shot all the photos with the iconic pistol pose […], when my agent called and said, ‘It blew up’. It was because I couldn’t get out of ‘Remington Steele’.”

Success Bond “GoldenEye”

A few years later, however, it worked out with the desired dream role, whereby it is noteworthy that Brosnan did not inherit easily as James Bond. Because the two Timothy Dalton works “The Living Daylights” and “License to Kill” (1989) were not particularly well received by the global audience.

In addition, the last entry in the film series was already six years ago. And by the way, the Cold War had also come to an end in the meantime, which represented a threatening development for a (cinema) secret agent like 007, who prefers to operate in secret or on enemy territory.

The new M actress Judi Dench (88) therefore also described Brosnan’s Bond in “GoldenEye” – unflatteringly – as a “relic of the Cold War”. But under director Martin Campbell (79), who was also supposed to stage Daniel Craig’s (55) 007 debut in “Casino Royale” in 2006, Brosnan thrilled cinema viewers. “The success of ‘GoldenEye’ was a great relief,” said Brosnan in retrospect.

At the box office, the agent blockbuster brought in what was then an incredible sum of over 350 million US dollars. Among other things, a spectacular tank chase through Saint Petersburg thrilled the audience. New Bond actor Brosnan seemed to combine the physique of his predecessor Sean Connery (1930-2020) with Roger Moore’s tongue-in-cheek sophistication – creating the in many ways perfect 007.

Pierce Brosnan’s end as James Bond

All four Brosnan Bonds were financially convincing, but viewers and fans increasingly criticized the development of the legendary film series. For example, while Denise Richards’ (52) miscast as a Lara Croft model, tank top wearing nuclear physicist Dr. Christmas Jones in “The World Is Not Enough” (1999) still seemed bearable, “Die Another Day” in 2002 marked the end of Brosnan’s Bond career.

In the 20th Bond film, director Lee Tamahori (72) used computer-generated images for the first time in the film series known for their practical effects. Even today, fans shudder at the artificial look of the film’s prominent ice fortress or 007 surfing a CG wave.

Daniel Craig took on the legendary role, which was made much harder, darker, less humorous and noticeably less sexist in the sequel to the “Bourne” films starring Matt Damon (52).

Inconsistent success after Pierce Brosnan’s 007 departure

Beyond his Bond role, Pierce Brosnan’s greatest successes as an actor fell into his time as 007. In 1997, for example, he embodied the volcanologist Dr. Harry Dalton, and let his legendary charm play in the financially extremely successful remake “The Thomas Crown Affair” (1999).

After leaving Bond, Brosnan was regularly seen in major film productions, but only a few such as his appearance as a hitman in “Murder and Margaritas” (2005) or his participation in the two “Mamma Mia!” films in 2008 and 2018 were remembered.

Most recently, Brosnan made his comic film debut in the DC work “Black Adam” (2022). However, following behind-the-scenes reorganizations at DC Studios, the mime is unlikely to return for more films from the superhero universe.

Private strokes of fate and painting

Brosnan’s first marriage was to Australian actress Cassandra Harris in 1980. The couple have one child together. Brosnan also adopted Harris’ two children from a previous marriage. The actress tragically died in 1991 at the age of 43 from ovarian cancer. Her daughter Charlotte succumbed to the same disease in 2013 at just 42 years old.

Pierce Brosnan himself : “I began painting in 1987 when my late wife was stricken with cancer. I had painted out of pain, and now pain sometimes expresses itself in colour”. In 2018, a painting by the mime depicting music legend Bob Dylan (81) was sold at a charity auction for 1.2 million euros.

Brosnan, who turns 70 today, has been married to journalist Keely Shaye Smith (59) since 2001. The couple have two children together.