Father Of 5 Pierce Brosnan Shared Lessons Of Preparation, Passion & Confidence With His Kids

May 26, 2023 by apost team

Pierce Brosnan might be one of the most charming man alive, but his two sons are great runners-up to that title. But not only did they inherit their dad’s good looks but also his humility, grace and wisdom, among many others. Speaking to GQ magazine, Dylan Brosnan and Paris Brosnan revealed the greatest lessons they learned from their father, whom they both try to hide away from their friends in an effort to stay out of the limelight.

Pierce is an Irish actor most known for his role as secret agent James Bond in four films of the spy franchise, including "Golden Eye," "Tomorrow Never Dies," "The World Is Not Enough" and "Die Another Day." But it was in the romance-musical "Mamma Mia!" that audiences were first introduced to a more playful side of the actor. He returned for the sequel "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" in 2018.

Apart from being an actor, Pierce is also a family man. He wed his first wife, Cassandra Harris, in 1980 and he was married to her for 11 years until her untimely passing. She had two children – Christopher Harris and Charlotte Harris – with her first late husband, whom Brosnan later adopted. The couple had their first child together, Sean Brosnan, in 1983. Sadly, Harris passed away in 1991 after a four-year battle with ovarian cancer, and 22 years later, daughter Charlotte succumbed to the same fate. 

In 1994, Pierce met Keely Shaye Smith, an American journalist, at a party in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The couple has two sons, Dylan and Paris, and married in 2001 in Ireland. 

Read on to learn more about Pierce's family and the children he loves deeply.

Pierce entered fatherhood when he became a stepfather of two to the children of his first wife, Cassandra. The Australian actress had been married to Dermot Harris, the brother of actor Richard Harris. Pierce legally adopted the two children she had with Dermot – Charlotte and Christopher – after their father passed in 1981. In 1991, Cassandra passed away from ovarian cancer. Her loss was a challenging and unimaginable loss for her family, particularly Pierce. He told People:

“She has made me the man I am, the actor I am, the father I am. She’s forever embedded in every fiber of my being. She’s there with me every day. I was so blessed to have met someone like that.”

Charlotte was 20 years old when her mother passed. She went on to have a family of her own with her husband, Alex Smith, whom she wed in 2013, and they had two children. However, Charlotte would succumb to the same disease that took her mother and passed a few weeks after her wedding. 

“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,” Pierce said during a cancer fundraiser in 2014.

Meanwhile, Christopher went on to become a film producer, working on some of Pierce’s own projects such as “The Thomas Crown Affair.”

Pierce’s only biological child with Cassandra, Sean, had a rough childhood and would battle substance abuse and alcoholism up to adulthood. However, he turned over a new leaf in 2014 after meeting his wife, Sanja Banic. The couple has two children, and Sean pivoted from pursuing a career in acting to the mental health field.

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Dylan is the oldest among Pierce's children with Smith. He was born in 1997, making him 25 years old in 2022. It was also the year when Pierce peaked as an actor, marking the release of “Tomorrow Never Dies,” arguably his breakthrough role for international audiences. 

Growing up, Dylan described living life with a well-known father as “incredibly normal.” While his famous dad might have tried to offer the children as down-to-earth an upbringing as possible, being part of the Brosnan bunch did come with at least some of the Hollywood glamour you would imagine. 

According to Dylan, he and his younger brother Paris got to travel with their dad and spend their days on movie sets.

"I remember being there on the James Bond sets and whatnot, early on," Dylan shared with Inquirer. 

Dylan started his modeling career in 2014, when he became the face of Saint Laurent, appearing in their Spring/Summer catalog alongside Jack Kilmer, son of American actor Val Kilmer. Just one year later, Dylan made his catwalk debut at the Men's Fashion Week in Paris. 

In 2017, Dylan appeared on the cover of Germany's GQ Style Magazine. Since then, he has modeled for Dolce & Gabbana, H&M and Moschino. According to French Vogue, agents have told him that his freckles, naturally wavy hair and angelic face make him especially desirable in the industry. 

Surely, the apple does not fall from the tree – and with Dylan’s achievements, he has surely emulated his father, who has also done the same thing, but in film, at almost the same age. 

Interestingly, children of many celebrities in Hollywood either follow in their parent's footsteps into the limelight, or they could not care less about the glamor and glitz stardom brings. Paris, the youngest of the two Brosnan-Smith boys, is more laid back and is enjoying living the simple life of someone with an A-list celebrity father. 

“Growing up, I was always proud that he was my dad. I didn’t want to hide it, but I wouldn’t tell everyone,” he told the Inquirer. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, in 2019, Paris was studying at the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University. But occasionally, they have been moving back and forth from California to Hawaii, where their family home is based. 

Paris has been seizing the waves of the oceanfront by being a surfer and studying film and television. But despite the grueling nature of their lives because of their father being in front of the camera, they had learned valuable lessons to which they have grown accustomed. 

Speaking to GQ magazine, Dylan recalled one thing that his father always reminded him to do: “Don’t be afraid to make fun of yourself.” The boys also said their dad instilled in them lessons about preparation, passion, confidence and showing up on time. 

In the same interview, Pierce explained why he didn't want his children to follow in his footsteps and pursue acting. 

“Just because it's f***ing hard work. It's a cross to bear. You're constructing and destroying yourself.”

There's no doubt Pierce has become a loving and doting father and he cites no one but himself for learning the ropes. He told Esquire in 2017: 

“My fatherly instincts are purely my own. They relate back to no one, because there was no one. I only met (my dad) the once.”

What do you think of Pierce Brosnan’s big, blended family? Do you think Paris and Dylan should follow in their dad’s footsteps and pursue acting? Let us know, and make sure to let your friends, family, and other Pierce Brosnan fans know about this!