James Bond Star Shares His Painful Childhood And How It Made Him So Grateful

Pierce Brosnan’s reputation as an actor is well-known. Brosnan is most recognized for his role as secret agent 007 James Bond in the James Bond film franchise, which he played in four films between 1995 and 2002.

In addition to his star-making role, the Irish actor has a diverse oeuvre that spans practically every genre. Brosnan has proven himself to be a capable performer in a variety of genres, from comedy to action in his Bond flicks and other hits like “The Thomas Crown Affair” and “Dante’s Peak.”

In the “Mamma Mia!” franchise, he even dazzled us with his musical abilities. Brosnan has been nominated for two Golden Globes in his career and is expected to star as the superhero Doctor Fate in the upcoming DC Comics film “Black Adam,” which is set to be released in July 2022.

Brosnan is a renowned actor in his own right, and he is still a household name today — yet few people realize that he had a difficult upbringing. Brosnan was an only child whose father abandoned him when he was young, and his mother had to work in England to support him while he was raised in Ireland by his maternal grandparents.

Brosnan, in his own words: “There were no siblings in the family. I grew up in a broken family as an only child. My father left for the hills quite early in the morning.” This experience, on the other hand, has made him appreciate and adore his current family even more. Though he battled to find his way to popularity, the father of five and devoted husband has nothing but gratitude for his life, and he continues to be grateful for the family relationships he has today.

Brosnan is an Irish actor who played secret agent James Bond in four James Bond films: “GoldenEye,” “Tomorrow Never Dies,” “The World Is Not Enough,” and “Die Another Day.” In the same universe, he has also played the character in a number of video games.

Brosnan was born on May 16, 1953, in Drogheda, Ireland, with no notion what kind of life he’d have. The young lad, who had a rather solitary existence, saw his first James Bond picture at the theater when he was 11 years old, but he had no idea how influential the character would be in his life.

Brosnan was born to May, a nurse, and Thomas Brosnan, a carpenter, according to the Irish Times. Brosnan grew up in Navan, Ireland, where he lived for the first ten years of his life. Brosnan still considers Navan to be his hometown, and he is an Irish citizen.

Brosnan’s father abandoned him when he was a baby, and because his mother worked as a nurse in London, he was raised by his maternal grandparents, according to The Guardian. During the interview, he stated, “I was an outsider because I was so isolated and we lived on the outskirts of town, across the Boyne River. I was raised as a lone child.”

He was compelled to move into apartments after his grandparents died.

According to the actress, “I was assigned to Eileen, a woman who lived in a run-down section of town. I moved upstairs with the lodgers, all adult men with jobs, once she had her own children… My small bed was at the far end of the room, with a curtain across it to keep the light out when the larger guys arrived home.”

This is not an easy life for a little boy. According to The Guardian, Brosnan was also tutored at a severe school run by the Christian Brothers when he was staying at the apartments. Unfortunately, his time in this setting had a negative impact on him.

He remembered something “”Just the whole hypocrisy,” he said, “was horrible, dreadful human beings.” And the cruelty with which they treat children. They were sexually inhibited to a great extent. It was unattractive. The Christian Brothers taught me nothing except shame.”

His fortunes would soon change when he moved to East Lothian with his mother and her new husband in 1964, and the family would soon relocate to London. Brosnan was bullied as a child in London, which would later prove to be a place of enormous potential for him. According to the Guardian, he was known as “Irish” in school. “They don’t let you forget being an Irish immigrant in London in 1964.”

Brosnan also noted in a 1997 interview with Cigar Aficionado:

“As an Irish boy of ten, life rushes at a breakneck pace when you visit a huge city, such as London. From a little Irish school with seven classrooms to this massive comprehensive institution with over 2,000 students. You’re also Irish. And they make you feel it; the British have a beautiful knack of doing that, and I felt very much like an alien.”

Brosnan, on the other hand, settled into his life and a circle of friends over time and realized what he wanted to achieve with his life:

“I wanted to be a commercial artist and an artist at the same time. I’m still here, and I’m still painting “said the celebrity.

At the age of 16, his passion for drawing drew him away from school and into a promising career as a commercial artist.

Even as an up-and-coming actor in the 1990s, he climbed his way into the hearts of people all over the world, his love for art continued to pervade his life. He studied painting at Saint Martin’s School of Art in London before deciding to pursue acting at the Drama Centre London. He recounted how he felt when he first decided to pursue acting:

“It was a release when I discovered acting, or when acting discovered me. It was a stepping stone into another life, away from the one I was living, and acting was something I excelled at and was valued for. That gave me a lot of pleasure in my life.”

Brosnan began his career in the theater after graduating, before going on to shine in films in the 1980s. In 1982, he received his first Golden Globe nomination and relocated to the United States, where his career prospered. By 1995, he’d earned the role that would make him a star: James Bond in “GoldenEye,” the franchise’s 17th installment.

Brosnan remarked of landing the coveted role of James Bond, “It was a dream come true.” “I’m not sure if there was any sort of supernatural intervention. I’m not sure what it was. I had the desire, passion, and will to succeed. I also had some talent in my back pocket. Remington [Steele] was a calling card for me to play Bond, but I couldn’t break free from Remington’s chains.”

He continued, “But it was fate that the opportunity would come back to me with Goldeneye. It’s got to be the Irish luck on my side.”

When analyzing the character’s history, Brosnan’s Bond was a standout, and it’s significant to note that he was directly inspired by the original Bond himself – Sean Connery. He announced this when he said on Instagram in honor of Sean Connery’s 90th birthday in 2020:

“When I saw Goldfinger at the ABC Cinema on Putney High Street in 1964, I was eleven years old and fresh off the plane from Ireland. You were my source of motivation.”

Brosnan handed over the keys to current Bond Daniel Craig in 2002 after four Bond films, and since then, he’s showed the world how versatile he is as an actor, taking on action, comedy, and even musical roles.

Since then, he’s devoted more time to his family, including his nearly 20-year-old wife, Keely Shaye Smith. In 1994, Brosnan and Smith met in Cabo San Lucas, where Smith was on a job assignment with actor Ted Danson and Brosnan was vacationing with friends.

They met at a beach party and had their first date a few days later, where they “sat down under the stars” while Pierce held Keely’s hand and Kenny Loggins sang. They talked and stayed up until three a.m., and they’ve been together ever since. As they say, the rest is history.

Dylan Brosnan, who was born in 1997, and Paris Brosnan, who was born in 2001, are the happy couple’s two sons. Brosnan is the father of three children from his previous marriage to Cassandra Harris: Chris, Sean, and Charlotte Brosnan, who, like her mother, died of ovarian cancer.

The actor’s daughter, Charlotte, died in 2013 at the age of 42 after a battle with ovarian cancer, and the 68-year-old has been outspoken about Smith’s support in his life. According to the Daily Mail, Brosnan became depressed after Charlotte’s death. Fortunately, Brosnan had Smith, who he characterized as “strength I wouldn’t be able to survive without.”

Brosnan’s first wife was Cassandra Harris, an Australian actress who also appeared in Bond films. The pair had two children and were married for over a decade, according to the Daily Mail, until Harris died of ovarian cancer in 1991, the same disease that took her daughter’s life.

“Cassie was an extremely upbeat person. She had the most incredible enthusiasm and attitude on life, I mean. “It was and continues to be a horrible loss for me, and I see it reflected in my children from time to time,” Brosnan told Express in 2013.

“It was a wonderful friendship, a wonderful love, and a wonderful experience.” You don’t get over your grief in a year, two years, three years, or four years. You just miss the individual and feel irritated with her when she isn’t around,” he continued.

Brosnan and Smith’s current marriage has been one of the few in Hollywood that has lasted decades, and there appears to be no signs of their love and regard for one other waning. Brosnan’s Instagram feed demonstrates how important family is to him, as the page is littered with photos of the individuals that mean the most to him. Furthermore, the star continues to pursue his artistic goals with zeal! He even had a show of his paintings in 2021 and gave all of his revenues.

Brosnan is the proud owner of Orchid House, a 13,000-square-foot house on the seashore in Malibu. In an interview with the Gentleman’s Journal in 2021, Brosnan claimed that despite enjoying his time with his wife there, he plans to settle down permanently in Hawaii with Smith.

Brosnan has continued to work in films while simultaneously devoting time to his art, and he has even created a studio space where he can retreat when filming on location. Brosnan and Smith made the most of a bad situation when the coronavirus outbreak forced a lockdown. “Ironically. Because the island was under lockdown. I painted, swam, and gardened. And we did that on a daily basis. And Keely prepared meals for us, and we went for walks “Brosnan elaborated.

In the conversation, Brosnan also discussed his relationship with his family. When asked if his lonely childhood had any influence on the kind of family guy he is now, the father of five replied, “I suspect so.”

He went on to say, “I place a high value on my family. Being a father is a wonderful experience for me. I grew up without a father figure or a stable family. There was a profound schism, a sense of isolation, and a sense of being alone, all of which tapped into the great power of my imagination. I had to rely on my own senses and intuition to get by.”

Throughout it all, he said, his family has been his top focus.

“As a result, I admire and cherish my family. Keely is an incredible mother and lady, and I’ve watched her flourish and evolve throughout the course of our 27-year relationship. There are still a lot of dreams to be had.”