Thanks to his casual, off-hand charm and self-deprecating comic timing, British actor Pierce Brosnan firmly established himself as a commanding presence with his first introduction to American audiences as the sophisticated, but often inept con man-turned-private investigator, “Remington Steele” (NBC, 1982-87). Almost immediately, there were calls in the media for Brosnan to assume the mantle of James Bond from fading star Roger Moore. But contractual obligations for television actors – which were strict at the time – prevented him from departing to take on the role many felt was a nature fit. Instead, Timothy Dalton captured the role and Brosnan languished on television – mainly in thriller-of-the-week movies – for the next decade. Once he was free of his contractual obligations and Dalton proved himself to be a flop as Bond, Brosnan made his first of four appearances as the debonair, but deadly agent 007 in “Goldeneye” (1995), a high-octane adventure that revamped a franchise thought to be on its last legs. After three more blockbuster Bond films – “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997), “The World is Not Enough” (1999) and “Die Another Day” (2002) – Brosnan was unexpectedly cut lose by producers with little by way of explanation. Brosnan managed to subvert his suave image with an uproarious performance as a brash hit man in “The Matador” (2005), which not only helped heal his wounds of losing out on Bond, but also allowed him to demonstrate a wider range many before had thought he lacked.Born May 16, 1953 in Navan, Meath, Ireland, Brosnan was raised in his early years by his mother, May, after his father, Thomas, left while he was an infant. When he was four, Brosnan’s mother sent him to live with his grandparents, while she went off to London to study being a nurse. He was reunited with her when he turned 11, then attended the Elliott School in Putney, South London, where he earned the sobriquets “Irish” and “Spastic” for being the only kid from Ireland in school and for his willingness to fight. Brosnan left school when he was 16 and went to work as a commercial artist; a job he managed to wrangle with his gift of gab. He watered plants, made tea and occasionally drew. It was around this time that he discovered acting at the Oval House, a local experimental workshop where he developed a love for the craft and a desire to learn better technique. He auditioned at all the big drama schools, eventually landing at the Drama Centre in London on scholarship. After studying for three years, Brosnan made his stage debut in ‘Wait Until Dark” (1976), then was tapped by none other than Tennessee Williams to play McCabe in the British premiere of “Red Devil Battery Sign” (1977).
With a stage career in full swing – which included an appearance in Franco Zeffirelli’s “Filumena” (1977), during which he met his first wife, Cassandra Harris – it was only a matter of time for Brosnan to make the jump onscreen. After his television debut in “Murphy’s Stroke” (1979), he made his feature debut with a bit part as an unnamed Irishman in “The Long Good Friday” (1980), acclaimed British director John McKenzie’s gritty crime thriller about a successful gangster (Bob Hoskins) who suddenly finds himself losing control of his operations. In 1981, Brosnan was then convinced by his wife to move to America – specifically Los Angeles – in order to better his career. No sooner had he had landed in the United States, then Brosnan auditioned for the role that turned him into a star, playing the rakish con-man/private investigator on “Remington Steele.” Almost immediately, critics were calling for Brosnan to be the next James Bond, thanks to his ineffable charm, dashing looks and action hero status. Popular as the show was, Brosnan was locked into a contract that afforded him little opportunity to break outside the “Remington Steele” confines, especially when he was actually considered for the James Bond role in 1985. Because of these strict contractual guidelines, Brosnan lost the role to Timothy Dalton, largely considered to be the weakest Bond ever, outside of one-timer George Lazenby.
Despite the major career setback, Brosnan still enjoyed success on “Remington Steele,” while he managed to begin freeing himself from the show’s contractual restraints, though his choice of projects left something to be desired. Unable to capitalize on his “Remington Steele” persona, he starred in the flop supernatural thriller, “Nomads” (1986), playing a French anthropologist haunted by the evil spirits of an extinct tribe that follows him to Los Angeles. After the 1986-87 season, “Remington Steele” went off the air, leaving Brosnan able to participate in any project he wanted. Unfortunately, the role of James Bond was unavailable at the time. So instead, he starred in a slew of made-for-television movies alongside the occasional feature film. After playing a Russian agent tasked with triggering a nuclear accident in England in “The Fourth Protocol” (1987), Brosnan starred in “Noble House” (NBC, 1988), a made-for-TV miniseries based on James Clavell’s novel about romance and intrigue in contemporary Hong Kong. Following starring turns in forgettable films like “The Deceivers” (1988) and “Taffin” (1988), he stuck with familiar territory, playing a con released from prison who plots a racetrack robbery as revenge against his former boss in “The Heist” (HBO, 1989).
Despite the consistency of work beyond his days at “Remington Steele,” it was clear that Brosnan had found a tight niche – namely playing charming rogues – which he was finding difficult to wriggle out from. After being well-cast as the urbane eccentric Phineas Fogg in the miniseries “Around the World in 80 Days” (NBC, 1989), he played a 1920s British officer trying to build his dream public works project in “Mister Johnson” (1991), followed by playing professor wanted for murder after encouraging his students to plot the perfect murder – only to have someone wind up dead – in “Murder 101” (1991). He explored his darker side as a man who kills his wife to be with another woman (Virginia Madsen) in “Victim of Love” (1991), then portrayed a demolitions expert with the FBI who tracks down a group of international terrorists plotting to blow up U.S. Senators with an experimental bomb in “Live Wire” (HBO, 1992). After enjoying a measure of popular success playing a scientist in the special effects-laden snoozefest, "The Lawnmower Man" (1992), Brosnan was overshadowed by Robin Williams’ over-the-top performance in "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993).
In 1995, Brosnan finally received his license to kill when he landed the role of James Bond 10 years after first consideration. His first stint as 007, “Goldeneye” (1995), helped the sagging franchise rebound after two mediocre entries with Timothy Dalton, “The Living Daylights” (1987) and “License to Kill” (1989). Brosnan's long-awaited casting created a renewed buzz and his solid performance as an elegant-but-hard-edged 007 – which combined the best elements of Sean Connery and Roger Moore's diverse appeals – revived the franchise into a major cash cow for MGM. With Brosnan commanding a role many felt he should have played years before, he returned with equal aplomb and enthusiasm for several more outings: "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997), in which he displayed abundant charisma opposite Bond girl Michelle Yeoh; "The World is Not Enough" (2000), where he helped develop Bond into more of an action hero while sparking a connection with Sophie Marceau, which helped balance his chemistry-deficient relationship with Denise Richards; and the 20th Bond outing, "Die Another Day," in which he and Bond girl Halle Berry delivered the most attractive pairing since the early days of the franchise.
His success as Bond also led to a renewed career in feature films as well, first in typically debonair supporting roles in films such as "The Mirror Has Two Faces" (1996) and "Mars Attacks" (1996), then as a leading man in summer action fare like the volcano thriller "Dante's Peak" (1997). He also demonstrated a fondness for smaller films with an Anglo-Saxon bent such the Irish-themed "The Nephew" (1998) and the Scot-centric soccer comedy "The Match" (1999). He also received kudos for his performance as Archie Grey Owl, a 1930s Canadian fur trapper who adopts the ways of the Iroquois tribe in Sir Richard Attenborough's little-re