Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan, who has reinvigorated the popularity of the James Bond legacy, putting his own stamp on 007 in the superhits Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough, also commands respect as one of the film world's most varied, adventurous and skilled dramatic actors. His first three Bond films earned over $1.4 billion at the box office, and the latest, "Die Another Day," is well on its way to supplanting his prior films as the most successful Bond ever.

Six years ago, Brosnan recently expanded the range of his filmwork by launching his own production company, Irish DreamTime. He produced and starred in the company's first studio project, The Thomas Crown Affair, which became both a critical and box office hit. The company recently completed production of "Evelyn," which MGM is releasing for Academy Award consideration. Its initial kudos, earned after presentation at the Toronto and Chicago film festivals, include Larry King's recommendation of Brosnan's performance for Oscar nomination.

His most recent work, starring with Geoffrey Rush in John Boorman's film of the John LeCarre novel, "The Tailor of Panama," occasioned a flood of critical acclaim for Brosnan. People Magazine called him "smoothly perfect," and Peter Travers in Rolling Stone noted that "playing a villain becomes Brosnan…he's looser, sexier, edgier." But perhaps the most telling reaction was that of LeCarre himself who stated, "Pierce, for all his training, retained the animalism of the character. He's instinctive. He's a sexy, decadent figure descending on his prey. There is so much of a man there. With his classical training, he saw the part as a showcase for rage." LeCarre also observed that "within the narrow confines on Bond, Pierce has a kind of subtly, sensitivity and compassion."

"Tailor" continues the London stage-trained actor's character-starring roles in such films as Bruce Beresford's "Mr. Johnson" and Sir Richard Attenborough's "Grey Owl." Brosnan has also shown his comedic skill in such films as The Mirror Has Two Faces, Mrs. Doubtfire and Love Affair. His accolades include the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Chicago Film Festival and significant honor bestowed by Exhibitor Organizations and by public poll.

Brosnan was born in County Meath, Ireland, and moved to London with his family when he was 11. Before he landed the role as the fifth James Bond, he achieved worldwide popularity as investigator Remington Steele on the popular television show of the same name. In addition to the record-setting success of his three Bond films, two other recent Brosnan starrers, Thomas Crown Affair and Dante's Peak, each has earned hundreds of millions of dollars internationally.

In addition to his stellar film career, Brosnan, together with his fiancee Keely Shaye Smith, has been drawn into a passionate leadership role in environmental issues. They have been actively involved in many conservation organizations, particularly in support of marine mammal rights. They have lobbied against legislation designed to weaken federal standards for labeling canned tuna "Dolphin Safe." In 1999, they worked with the NRDC to stop a proposed salt factory at Laguna San Ignacio on Mexico's Baja California peninsula, a project that would have destroyed the last pristine breeding ground remaining on earth for the Pacific gray whale. Both the Environmental Media Association and Women In Film have jointly honored them with significant Humanitarian awards for this work. Brosnan now serves as Campaign Chairman for the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the show business charity arm that raised and distributed $45,000,000 last year.