Look Back on Pierce Brosnan’s Legendary Life and Decades-Spanning Career: From Ireland to ‘Mobland’

He’s Always Wanted To Live In The U.S.

Growing up in Ireland, Pierce, who turns 72 on May 16, “dreamt of America as a young lad watching movies as a teenager,” he says. “It was exhilarating, intoxicating, mystical and magical. As that saying goes, ‘a man becomes what he dreams’ and I managed to find my way to America.” He became a U.S. citizen in 2004.

He Didn’t Set Out To Become An Actor.

While Pierce was working as a graphic artist in London, a coworker encouraged him to check out the Oval House Theatre. “When I found acting, or when acting found me, it was a liberation,” he shares. “It was a stepping stone into another life … and acting was something I was good at.”

He Never Knew His Father Growing Up.

In 1984, while filming an episode of “Remington Steele” in Ireland, he met his dad for the first time. “I had a Sunday afternoon with him,” Pierce reveals. “A story about this and that, had a few pints of Guinness, and we said goodbye.”

Helen Mirren Is A Good Friend.

They met while filming 1980’s “The Long Good Friday,” and have recently “struck up a friendship and a relationship that was completely unexpected,” Pierce says of his “MobLand” costar. “She’s just a magnificent actress and a great woman. Really cool.”

He’s Crazy For His Wife!

“Keely is the most amazing mother and woman,” he says of his wife of 23 years. “I’ve watched our life together just blossom and grow. And there are still many more dreams to be had.”