Brosnan was born on May 16, 1952, in County Meath, Ireland. Abandoned by his father during infancy, Brosnan was raised by his mother, with the help of his grandparents who cared for him while she worked in London. At age 11, he moved to England to join her (on the exact day Bond author Ian Fleming died).
Their reunion was brief. At age 15, Brosnan dropped out of school and left home. "I did a little of everything," he once commented (his resume included "fire-eater, illustrator and actor").
Movies were an escape as well as an inspiration. "The first Bond film I saw was 'Dr. No'--and I was hooked immediately," he recalls. But it would be a long time before he would get to don the tux himself.
Brosnan joined an experimental theater troupe and studied for three years at The Drama Centre of London. His first role onstage was in Franco Zeffirelli's production of "Filumena." And famed playwright Tennessee Williams hand-picked him for his British premiere of "Red Devil Battery Sign."
At 23 he met his first wife, 24-year-old actress Cassandra Harris, and they moved to L.A., with Harris pushing him to go on auditions. He caught the eye of American audiences in the 1981 mini-series "The Manions of America." Shortly after, he was offered the lead role of mystery man Remington Steele. "I loved the show, loved the character," he says of the series. He starred opposite Stephanie Zimbalist for five seasons, playing the con artist-turned-private eye.
Near the end of the show's run, Brosnan was contacted by the Bond producers about taking the torch from Roger Moore. The network, however, refused to let him out of his contract, and the part went to Timothy Dalton instead. Brosnan was "none too happy--to say the least! I thought, 'Well, there goes your chance--that's it.'"
Movies were an escape as well as an inspiration. "The first Bond film I saw was 'Dr. No'--and I was hooked immediately," he recalls. But it would be a long time before he would get to don the tux himself.
