Pierce Brosnan has wowed audiences around the world with his latest role in the hit crime series MobLand. Perhaps most iconic for his role as James Bond, there is much more to his skillset than playing a charming hero. In MobLand, Brosnan takes a major swerve to villainy as London underworld kingpin Conrad Harrigan.
While many actors struggle to branch out after playing iconic characters like that of James Bond, Pierce Brosnan has proven that this isn’t always the case. Throughout his career, he has starred in an eclectic array of genres, and with MobLand season 2 seemingly on the horizon, it appears he is not slowing down anytime soon. Here are 6 things you didn’t know about Pierce Brosnan.
6. He Was Raised by His Grandparents
Pierce Brosnan was born on May 16, 1953 in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. While he has since re-connected with his mother, he has described his early life as “fractured”. His upbringing was challenged early on when his father left and his mother re-located to London to pursue a career as a nurse. However, Brosnan has commended her decision to do so, calling her “courageous”, as it was a way to earn more money and provide for her family. He was just four years old when she left and was subsequently raised by his maternal grandparents.
5. His Creativity Doesn’t End with Acting
Pierce Brosnan’s pursuit of acting actually branched off into a rather bizarre side quest as well. In 1969, while he was at an acting workshop, the budding thespian saw a professional street performer showing people how to eat fire. Revved up and inspired, Brosnan decided to participate and ultimately acquired a skill of which he remains quite pleased of to this day. Although he did show off his skill in a brief appearance on an episode of Muppets Tonight, he hasn’t displayed this talent very much throughout his career since. However, he has another creative skill that he has boasted: painting.
When discussing his early years, Brosnan has opened up about having a “pretty tough” time in school. He left at the age of 16 without really knowing what he wanted to pursue. However, he did know he wanted to do something creative. So, he chose to study at London’s Saint Martin’s School of Art because he loved art, particularly painting. While he went in a different direction with acting, he has continued painting as a hobby and is known to paint in his downtime on TV and film sets between shooting. In 2018, he raised $1.4 million for the AIDS research charity AmfAR by selling a painting he had made of legendary musician Bob Dylan.
4. Pierce Brosnan Suffers from Claustrophobia
While Bruce Willis may take the crown for action stars getting into tight spaces with the iconic vent scene in Die Hard, Pierce Brosnan came close in the disaster movie Dante’s Peak. However, this was a major challenge for the actor to overcome as he suffers from claustrophobia. If that doesn’t showcase his dedication to his craft, then surely nothing will. Brosnan joins roughly 12 in 100 people who suffer from this phobia, but this affliction certainly hasn’t held him back.
3. Filming James Bond Scarred Him
It’s no secret that action stars suffer their fair share of injuries, and Pierce Brosnan has one that will stay with him for life. When he was filming a scene for 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, Brosnan was accidentally hit in the face by a stuntman. The powerful strike split his mouth just above his upper lip, creating a very noticeable scar. To conceal the injury from the camera, subsequent scenes in the movie had to be shot from his left side.
2. He Nearly Became James Bond Much Sooner
Pierce Brosnan first stepped into the super-suave tuxedo of James Bond in 1995’s GoldenEye. He went on to star in a total of four Bond movies, ending with Die Another Day in 2002. However, he nearly boarded the franchise in the late 80s. He was offered the prestigious role of 007 in 1986 when he was given the script for The Living Daylights (1987). At the time, Brosnan was contracted for NBC’s Remington Steele. NBC tried to negotiate with Bond producers to let Brosnan continue both roles, even offering to reschedule filming. However, Albert R. Broccoli firmly declined the offer, stating Bond and Remington Steele couldn’t coexist. So, Brosnan was ultimately passed over, and Timothy Dalton became the next James Bond.
1. Pierce Brosnan Has a Platinum Record
Mamma Mia! hit movie theaters in 2008 and was a massive hit, grossing over $600 million worldwide against a budget of $52 million. To that, it became the highest-grossing live-action musical film of all time on its release. As well as boasting a star-studded cast, the film also sported some serious feats in the musical realm. With the soundtrack of the movie based on classic ABBA songs, the cast all sang their own songs. So, as the movie’s soundtrack album release went platinum, technically, Pierce Brosnan has a platinum record to his name as well as a plethora of classic movies and TV shows.
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