Pierce Brosnan is the ultimate dad, according to his wife of nearly 23 years, Keely Shaye.
“Thank you for your love, patience, wisdom, commitment and generosity,” Shaye, 60, captioned an Instagram post on Father’s Day. “What a privilege it is to be loved by you and to raise our boys together, beside you, and with you.”
In the photo, Brosnan, 71, poses with Paris, 23, and Dylan, 27, his two sons with Shaye.
The Irish actor is also dad of Charlotte, Sean, 40, and Christopher, 51, from his marriage to Cassandra Harris, who died of ovarian cancer in 1991. Charlotte passed away from the same illness in 2013, when she was 41.
“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 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.”
Read on to learn more about Pierce Brosnan’s five children:
Charlotte
Charlotte Brosnan — born Charlotte Harris — is Pierce’s daughter from his marriage to Cassandra Harris. He adopted Charlotte and her brother, Christopher, after their father passed away in 1986.
Charlotte was 41 when she died of ovarian cancer, after battling the disease for three years. She welcomed two children, Isabella and Lucas, with her husband Alex Smith.
“To watch someone you love have his or her life eaten away bit by bit by this insidious diease, that part of your sorrow becomes an indelible part of your psyche,” he said in 2014, at a Stand Up To Cancer fundraiser. “I held the generous, strong, beautiful hand of my first wife Cassie as ovarian cancer took her life much too soon. Just last year, I held the hand of my funny, wonderful daughter Charlotte before she, too, died from this wretched inherited disease.”
Christopher Brosnan
Christopher, like Charlotte, was adopted by Pierce as a teenager.
Christopher worked as an assistant director on “Tomorrow Never Dies,” “The World Is Not Enough,” and “The Thomas Crown Affair.” In 2005, he appeared on the original “Love Island” series.
In a 2005 interview with Playboy, Pierce opened up about Christopher’s substance abuse disorder.
“He’s having a hard life. I can only have strong faith and believe he will recover,” Pierce said. “I adore Christopher and just want him well and healthy.”
In 2020, Pierce posted on Instagram a photo of himself with Paris, Dylan and Sean, and mentioned Christopher in the caption.
"My love forever to you dear sons, Paris, Dylan, Sean and Christopher, thank you deeply for your love on this Father’s Day," Pierce wrote.
Sean
Sean, who was born to Pierce and Cassandra in 1983, was 8 when his mother died.
“I remember the day my dad told me she passed, and it was a few days after Christmas,” Sean shared on the “Inner Space with Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen” podcast. “He started to cry, but I didn’t cry. I was comforting him.”
Following a car accident in 2000, Sean’s life took a dark turn.
“I ended up getting involved in drugs and alcohol and causing a long trail of destruction behind me,” he said in a 2022 Instagram video.
Sean went on to say that he changed his life when his daughter was born. He went back to school and earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology. Sean now works as a licensed professional counselor.
“I basically help people with trauma and anxiety and depression and relationship issues, and a lot of grief and loss as well because there’s a lot of that in my story,” he said.
Sean and his wife, Sanja Banic, share kids Marley and Jaxxon.
Dylan
Dylan, born in 1997, graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2020 and now works as a filmmaker and model. He is also the lead singer of Raspberry Blonde.
At one point, Dylan worked part-time as director’s assistant, creating music videos for artists including Bruce Springsteen.
In 2022, Dylan shared with E! the best advice he's ever received from his dad.
“Be gracious,” Dylan said. "Be grateful.”
Paris
Paris, born in 2001, is a model and artist who graduated from Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television in 2023.
Last year, Paris credited his dad for turning him on to the art world.
“I’ve been surrounded by art my entire life. Whether it be watching my dad paint, painting with my brother (Dylan), going to museums, or looking through art books; I’ve always been drawn to art in the way that you can be vulnerable with your emotions and communicate things that you can’t necessarily with words,” Paris said in an Instagram video.
“My biggest source of inspiration,I would have to say, would be my dad,” he added, “because I grew up watching him paint. I saw how he would lock-in in the studio for hours and just get lost in there.”
Rachel Paula Abrahamson is a lifestyle reporter who writes for the parenting, health and shop verticals. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and elsewhere. Rachel lives in the Boston area with her husband and their two daughters. Follow her on Instagram.
