Pierce Brendan Brosnan was born in Navan, County Meath, Ireland on May 16, 1953. He moved with his family to London in 1964 [apparently on the very same day that Ian Fleming died], where one of the first films he saw was Goldfinger. He became a commercial artist after leaving school, but was introduced to acting by a co-worker who was in a theatre group in the evenings. He left his job for the life of an actor, and entered the Drama Centre in London, where he studied acting for 3 years.

After several years of stage work throughout the UK, he began to work in television and film. His "big break" came with the 1981 ABC-TV mini-series The Manions of America, which led to him getting the title role in the popular long-running detective series Remington Steele, which debuted in 1982.

He moved with his wife and children to Los Angeles, California, where he Steele was filmed. The series was quite successful, running for more than 4 seasons and 92 episodes. It catapulted Pierce to major stardom in the U.S. Rumors began as early as 1984 that Pierce would replace Roger Moore as the next James Bond.

Due to contractual obligations, he was unable to accept the role when it was originally offered to him in 1986. Pierce remained busy as an actor despite that setback, making TV mini-series, theatrical films and made-for-cable movies, as well as several TV commercials.

On June 8, 1994, Pierce Brosnan was unveiled at a huge press conference in London as the 5th 007. His first Bond film is GoldenEye, which grossed over $350 million worldwide, more than any other Bond film to that point. His 2nd Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, which opened in 1997, grossed more money in the US than GoldenEye. His 3rd Bond film, The World is Not Enough, is due for release in November 1999. He most recently filmed a remake of the Steve McQueen film The Thomas Crown Affair.