Pierce Brosnan has been a household name and national treasure for several years, but not everybody is aware of the immense personal loss the actor suffered at the hands of his first wife, Cassandra and his daughter, Charlotte.
The Irish-born actor is best known for his time as James Bond, a role he held from the mid-90s to the early 2000s, starring in four movies donning 007’s iconic tux. From Mamma Mia to Mrs Doubtfire, the decorated two-time Golden Globe nominee has enjoyed a varied and successful career that will one day see him considered an all-time great in his eventual retirement. But behind the scenes, less is known about Brosnan and the immense pain he suffered at the hands of a cruel illness that took the lives of both his first wife and his daughter.
Pierce Brosnan lost his first wife and his daughter to the same illness
Having graduated from film school in the 1970s, the celebrity first came to prominence in the early 80s, around the same time he tied the knot with his first wife, Australian actress Cassandra Harris, who helped the would-be Hollywood star to make sense of his first few years in the limelight.
The pair had met not long after Brosnan graduated and lived together in Wimbledon, England, where they had their son, Sean, who was born in 1983. Clearly infatuated with his partner, Brosnan was quoted in 1983 describing the moment he first laid eyes on Harris, stating: “I was totally bowled over by this beauty.”
Tragically, however, Harris passed away untimely in December 1991 – aged just 43, following an ovarian cancer diagnosis four years prior.
“She has made me the man I am, the actor I am, the father I am,” said Brosnan, reflecting on Harris’ impact. “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.”
In the wake of Harris’ death, Brosnan adopted her daughter, Charlotte, and went on to enjoy a well-documented career in the movies.
22 years on from Harris’ passing, however, tragedy struck – as Charlotte succumb to the same illness as her mother, passing away in June 2013 aged just 42.
Up to 20% of cases of ovarian cancer in the United States are said to be of a hereditary nature, according to data published by the group Target Ovarian Cancer.
Brosnan turned to art in moments of grief
In an attempt to cope with such profound moments of grief, Brosnan has at times turned to art as a form of expression, it has been revealed.
British actor Russell Tovey runs a podcast, Talk Art, and during a promotional interview for the show he described what he had learned from Brosnan’s creative escape: “James Bond makes art. He (Brosnan) started off as an artist, he then went into acting.
“But throughout his whole career he held a studio next to the studios where he was filming, so he’d have like a fight sequence, a stunt scene, and then he would go off and start painting.
Explaining how he came to find the hobby, Tovey added: “He came to painting because he had some trauma and tragedy in his life. His wife died, then his daughter died, and he turned to art as a way to express those anxieties and pain and he painted.
‘And his paintings are incredible!’
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