- Pierce Brosnan is best known for playing James Bond 077 in four movies
- The Irish star has been married to wife Keely Shaye Smith since 2001
- He shares five children with two women
Pierce Brosnan has taken on many roles in his life. He was 007 during the mid-1990s, playing secret agent James Bond in a series of films. He’s shown his comedic side with parts in films like The World’s End, Mars Attacks, and, most recently, Cinderella. He’s also given his singing voice a chance in the Mamma Mia! franchise. But, perhaps the greatest role that this Irish-American actor has signed on to play is that of a father. Pierce is the proud papa of five children he shares with his late wife, Cassandra Harris, and his current spouse, Keely Shaye Smith.
“I cherish family very much,” Pierce told Gentleman’s Journal in 2021. “I cherish being a father. I did not grow up with a father figure or with a solid family. There was deep fracture, a certain isolation and an aloneness which wielded the wonderful power of my imagination. I had to get by on my own sensing and intuition. So I value and love the family. Keely is the most amazing mother and woman — I’ve watched her grow up over 27 years, watched our life together just blossom and grow. And there are still many more dreams to be had.” He also often gushes about them on his Instagram. As Pierce and Keely continue this journey together, here’s what you need to know about the Remington Steele actor’s kids.
Christopher Brosnan
Christopher Harris was born on Nov. 11, 1972. He is the oldest child of For Your Eyes Only actress Cassandra Harris (born Sandra Colleen Waites) and producer Dermot Harris, brother of actor Richard Harris. Cassandra and Dermot ultimately divorced in 1978. After Dermot passed away in 1986 due to a heart attack, per the Chicago Tribune, Pierce – who married Cassandra in 1980 – adopted Chris and his sister, Charlotte.
Christopher has worked as an assistant director on many films, including a few of his father’s movies, like GoldeEye, Die Another Day, and The World Is Not Enough. Sadly, following his mother’s death from ovarian cancer in 1991, Christopher’s life spiraled out of control due to substance abuse. “Christopher is still very lost. Shockingly so,” Pierce said in a 2005 interview with Playboy(h/t News.com.au), “I know where he is, but he’s having a hard life. I can only have strong faith and believe he will recover. He has tested everybody in this family, but none more so than himself. He knows how to get out. He doesn’t want to.”
Pierce ultimately had to cut off his son after years of addiction. However, in a 2019 interview with Esquire, Pierce said that he and Christopher have reconnected and have established “a loving communication.”
Charlotte Brosnan
Charlotte Brosnan was born Charlotte Harris on Nov. 27, 1972. She is also the child of Cassandra and Dermot Harris. Charlotte was an actress who had a role on an episode of NYPD Blue and appeared in The Nephew and The Disappearance of Kevin Johnson. Sadly, she passed away in 2013 at age 41.
“On June 28 at 2 p.m., my darling daughter Charlotte Emily passed on to eternal life, having succumbed to ovarian cancer,” Pierce said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Charlotte fought her cancer with grace and humanity, courage and dignity. Our hearts are heavy with the loss of our beautiful dear girl. We pray for her and that the cure for this wretched disease will be close at hand soon. We thank everyone for their heartfelt condolences.”
At the time of her death, Charlotte was married to Alex Smithand the mother of two.
Sean Brosnan
Sean Brosnan was born on Sept. 13, 1983, the youngest child of Pierce Brosnan and Cassandra Harris. Sean followed his father into the acting business, landing his roles in the Generation Kill mini-series, and in movies like Alien Uprising, Acts of Violence, and the upcoming Illusion. Sean also battled his own addictions that reportedly developed after he suffered injuries in a 2000 car accident, per Esquire. However, Pierce told the publication that Sean is “thriving,” studying for a psychology degree and starting a family. Sean’s social media also appears to be on private.
“Sean has the most beautiful daughter that I am grandpa to,” said Pierce. “I try to have some lyrical name, Poppy, Hemingway-esque, but I am grandpa. Grandpa. Grandpa. There comes a time to be a grandpa. I am that.”
Dylan Brosnan
Dylan Brosnan was born on Jan. 13, 1997. He is the oldest son of Pierce Brosnan and his second wife, journalist and filmmaker Keely Shaye Smith. Shaye and Brosnan met in 1994 and tied the knot in 2001.
Dylan graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2020. He is also a singer, part of the group Raspberry Blonde, and a model, as seen on his Instagram. He’s also done a little dabbling in acting. Dylan has had roles in Out of Reach(2015),Poisoning Paradise(2018), and The Young Motivators Club(2018).
During a 2021 Instagram Live session, Pierce talked about Dylan about how his son would visit him on set. “Do you remember coming down to the James Bond set [for]Die Another Day? You loved cars when you were like four years, five years of age,” said Pierce, per PEOPLE. Dylan responded that he was “really young, but I loved the cars,” which led Pierce to share a funny story.
“I do remember that morning because you loved cars, and it was Die Another Day, and it was this massive action sequence,” he said. After running through all the “explosions” and chaos of the scene, Pierce turned to his son. “And I got to the end of it, and I said, ‘How was it?’ And you said, ‘Are the cars okay, Daddy? Were the cars all right? Can we go see the cars?'” Pierce continued, laughing. “And it was my best performance, one of my greatest James Bond heroic moments. I said, ‘Yes, son, let’s go see the cars.’”
Paris Brosnan
Paris Brosnan was born on Feb. 27, 2001. Pierce’s youngest son has already made a splash in the fashion world. He began modeling in 2017, and he’s already walked in shows for Dolce & Gabanna and Balmain. It’s exciting!” Paris told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY at the 2019 Clarins and The Malibu Foundation’s RePlant Love event. “I am thankful for this creative outlet and the opportunity to be surrounded by inspirational designers and artists.”
“My family inspires me,” Paris added. “Both of my parents work in the entertainment industry, and both are also are passionate environmentalists. I once heard my mom say: ‘A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in’… But honestly, the most important thing we can do to help combat climate change is to pick a cause that we believe in that is authentic to our individual lives and values.”
Paris celebrated his father’s birthday with a sweet family snap on his Instagram in May 2023. “happy 70th to the creator @piercebrosnanofficial ; more life, more art, more blessings…,” he wrote.