A second chance at love. Pierce Brosnan weathered ups and downs in his love life — which led him to a marriage with Keely Shaye Smith that has lasted over 20 years.
The actor was previously married to Cassandra Harris from 1980 until her death in 1991. Over the course of his first marriage, Brosnan and Harris welcomed son Sean (born in September 1983). The actor also adopted Harris’ daughter Charlotte and son Chris from a previous marriage after their father passed.
Following his wife’s passing, Brosnan opened up about coping with the loss. “When your partner gets cancer, then life changes. Your timetable and reference for your normal routines and the way you view life, all this changes,” he explained in a 2008 interview, noting that his family “cherished every moment” they had with Harris. “Cassie was very positive about life. I mean, she had the most amazing energy and outlook on life. She could read people extremely well. She had, above all, the greatest sense of humor. She had this wonderful laugh, which her children have inherited.”
The Golden Globe nominee found love again after meeting Smith during a trip to Mexico in 1994. After nearly seven years of dating, the couple exchanged vows in 2001. They also expanded their family with sons Paris and Dylan.
During the interview in 2008, Brosnan reflected on finding happiness in his life amid major grief. “I’ve been very lucky in my life. I have been able to go through quite a few lives and still retain a certain identity and love of life,” he shared at the time. “I also have a new realization, as a man and as an actor, ‘This is where you belong.’ It’s a great feeling, knowing you don’t have to prove yourself or step on tippy toes to be seen or be heard. Just to be comfortable in who you are.”
For the Mrs. Doubtfire star, meeting his second wife was something that was meant to happen.
“I had a great marriage which sadly had its own ending, and I was lucky enough to find love again. We were meant to find each other. I thank God for her every day,” he told Closer in January 2018. “When Keely looks at me, I go weak. I love her vitality, her passion. She has this strength that I wouldn’t be able to live without.”
The journalist, for her part, also gushed about the family that she formed with Brosnan. “@piercebrosnanofficial thank you for joining me on this wild, joyous ride into parenthood, for your love, support and encouragement. Your heart is so big, so generous, so tender and compassionate. You inspire me everyday and you continue to make me laugh. God bless you! My heart is filled with gratitude,” Smith wrote in a sweet Father’s Day tribute via Instagram in June 2021.
Scroll down to relive Brosnan and Smith’s romance:
