Pierce Brendan Brosnan OBE (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent James Bond in the James Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day) and in multiple video games.
After leaving school at age 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration and went on to attend the Drama Centre in London for three years. Following a stage acting career, he rose to popularity in the television series Remington Steele (1982–1987). After the conclusion of the series, Brosnan appeared in films such as the Cold War spy film The Fourth Protocol (1987) and the comedy Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). After achieving worldwide fame for his role as James Bond, Brosnan took the lead in other major films including the epic disaster adventure film Dante's Peak (1997) and the remake of the heist film The Thomas Crown Affair (1999). Since leaving the role of Bond, he has starred in films such as the political thriller The Ghost Writer (2010), the action fantasy Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), the action spy thriller The November Man (2014), the comedy musical Mamma Mia! (2008), its sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020). In 2022, Brosnan played Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate in the DC Extended Universe film Black Adam.
Brosnan has received two Golden Globe Award nominations, for the miniseries Nancy Astor (1982) and for the dark comedy film The Matador (2005). In 1996, he and the American film producer Beau St. Clair founded the Los Angeles–based production company Irish DreamTime. He is also known for his charitable work and environmental activism. In 1997, Brosnan received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the film industry. In 2020, he was listed at No. 15 on The Irish Times' list of the greatest Irish film actors.
Early life
Brosnan was born on 16 May 1953 in Drogheda, County Louth, the only child of May (née Smith) and Thomas Brosnan, a carpenter. He has the same name as his grandfather, Pierce Brosnan, whose first name was in honour of his mother Margaret Pierce. For 12 years, he lived in Navan, County Meath, and said in 1999 that he considers it to be his hometown. His father abandoned the family when Brosnan was an infant. When he was four years old, his mother moved to London to work as a nurse. From then on, he was largely brought up by his maternal grandparents, Philip and Kathleen Smith. After their deaths, he lived with an aunt and then an uncle, but was subsequently sent to live in a boarding house run by a woman named Eileen. He later said, "Childhood was fairly solitary. I never knew my father. He left when I was an infant. To be Irish Catholic in the 1950s, and have a marriage which was not there, a father who was not there the mother, the wife suffered greatly. My mother was very courageous. She took the bold steps to go away and be a nurse in England. Basically wanting a better life for her and myself. My mother came home once a year, twice a year."
Brosnan was brought up in a Catholic family, and educated in a local school run by the De La Salle Brothers while serving as an altar boy. He left Ireland on 12 August 1964 and went to Scotland to be reunited with his mother and her new husband, William Carmichael, at their home in Longniddry. Carmichael took Brosnan to see a James Bond film for the first time (Goldfinger) at the age of 11. They later moved back to London, where Brosnan was educated at Elliott School in Putney, now known as Ark Putney Academy. When discussing his transition from Ireland to England, he said, "When you go to a very large city, a metropolis like London, as an Irish boy of 10, life suddenly moves pretty fast. And you're Irish. And they make you feel it; the British have a wonderful way of doing that, and I had a certain deep sense of being an outsider." His nickname at school was simply "Irish".
Early career
Graduating from the Drama Centre in 1975, Brosnan began working as an acting assistant stage manager at the York Theatre Royal, making his acting debut in Wait Until Dark. Within six months, he was selected by the playwright Tennessee Williams to play the role of McCabe in the British premiere of The Red Devil Battery Sign (billed as "Pierce Brosman"). His performance caused a stir in London and Brosnan still has the telegram sent by Williams, stating only "Thank God for you, my dear boy". In 1977, he was picked by Franco Zeffirelli to appear in the play Filumena by Eduardo De Filippo opposite Joan Plowright and Frank Finlay.
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Brosnan continued his career making brief appearances in films such as The Long Good Friday (1980) and The Mirror Crack'd (1980), as well as early television performances in The Professionals, Murphy's Stroke, and Play for Today. He became a television star in the United States with his leading role in the popular miniseries Manions of America. He followed this in 1982 with the BBC's nine-part miniseries Nancy Astor (which aired in America on Masterpiece Theatre) that dramatised the life of Lady Astor, the first woman to sit in the British Parliament. His portrayal of Robert Gould Shaw II garnered him a 1985 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
In 1982, Brosnan moved to Southern California and rose in popularity in the United States playing the title role in the NBC romantic, often-comedic detective series Remington Steele. The Washington Post noted that same year that Brosnan "could make it as a young James Bond." After Remington Steele ended in 1987, Brosnan went on to appear in, among other projects, The Fourth Protocol (1987), a Cold War thriller in which he starred alongside Michael Caine, The Deceivers, the mini-series James Clavell's Noble House (both 1988), and The Lawnmower Man (1992). In 1992, he shot a pilot for NBC called Running Wilde, playing a reporter for Auto World magazine with Jennifer Love Hewitt playing his daughter, which never aired. In 1993 he played a supporting role in the comedy film Mrs. Doubtfire. He appeared in several television films, including Victim of Love (1991), Death Train (1993) and Night Watch (1995), a spy thriller set in Hong Kong. In 2003, Brosnan was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Irish Film.
Brosnan has married twice, having been widowed once, and has five children and four grandchildren. He met Australian actress Cassandra Harris through her stepson David Harris, the nephew of Richard Harris, shortly after leaving drama school. On meeting her, he said, "What a beautiful looking woman. I never for an instant thought she was someone I'd spend 17 years of my life with. I didn't think of wooing her, or attempting to woo her; I just wanted to enjoy her beauty and who she was." They began dating and bought a house in Wimbledon. They married in December 1980 and had one son together, Sean, who was born on 13 September 1983 and later became an actor. They also raised Harris' two children from her prior marriage, Charlotte (1971–2013) and Chris. Brosnan adopted them after their father Dermot Harris died in 1986; they subsequently took his surname. Early in their relationship, Brosnan worked in West End plays and television films. After Harris appeared in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only in 1981, they secured a bank loan and moved to Southern California, where Brosnan was cast in the title role of the TV series Remington Steele, easing their financial worries.
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If you love ordering spring rolls from Chinese restaurants, then this is the recipe for you! Our spring rolls are easy to make and taste amazing. They're filled with a flavorful veggie mixture and fried until golden and crispy. They make a great appetizer or can be served right alongside some fried rice and your favorite takeout main dish!
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 6 cups shredded Chinese cabbage
- 2 cups fresh bean sprouts
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 3 scallions (green onions), chopped
- 12 spring roll or egg roll wrappers
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- Oil for frying
- In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic powder; mix well.
- In a large bowl, combine cabbage, bean sprouts, carrot, and scallions; mix well. Pour soy sauce mixture over cabbage mixture; toss to coat well and let stand 10 minutes. Place cabbage mixture in a colander and squeeze to drain well.
- Spoon about 1/4 cup cabbage mixture evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper. Lightly brush edges of egg roll wrapper with beaten egg. Fold one corner of each egg roll wrapper up over cabbage mixture then fold both sides over, envelope fashion; roll up tightly.
- Heat about 1-1/2 inches oil in a deep medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add spring rolls in batches and fry 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden. Drain on a paper towel-lined platter. Serve immediately, but be sure to use caution -- the filling will be hot.
- To serve these like they do in Chinese restaurants, don't forget the dipping sauce! A couple of our favorite dipping sauces are duck sauce and spicy mustard.
- Did You Know?: In China, spring rolls are traditionally eaten during the Chinese New Year as a way to welcome in the spring. They're also said to represent wealth (because of their golden color). Spring rolls can vary in size, filling, and cooking method (some are fried, while others are steamed), from region to region. In the U.S., spring rolls and egg rolls are pretty similar, with the main difference being the filling. While both contain veggies, egg rolls typically include some kind of meat, chicken, or fish too.
1922 – Judy Garland, American actress and singer (d. 1969)
1982 – Tara Lipinski, American figure skater
Roll out the red carpet for one of the country’s ultimate comfort foods. National Egg Roll Day on June 10th delivers one American Dream story and satisfies a craving at the same time. You know you’re craving an egg roll now!
The egg roll began as a Chinese-American tradition that extended to Vietnamese immigrants reaching for the American Dream. These traditions grew from the unfailing dedication of families in chop suey palaces serving hungry workers. Restaurants across the country perfected their own versions of the egg roll with a variety of finely chopped ingredients – pork, shrimp, cabbage, onions, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and seasonings. And it was all rolled up in a thin pastry wrap and deep-fried.
The egg roll is a satisfying snack or an exciting part of a meal at home or away. But, it’s also played an essential role in making dreams come true for several generations of immigrants in the United States. And it continues to be in many ways.
Our ability to celebrate the egg roll is as close as our freezer, telephone, restaurant, or even our own recipe. The egg roll is versatile, too. Our love of the egg roll evolves to meet strict diets, exotic flavors, and so much more! What more could we ask for a celebration?
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL EGG ROLL DAY
Celebrate the hard-working history of the egg roll. Pick up a pack of Van’s Kitchen’s artisan batch egg rolls found in hundreds of grocers and convenience stores across the country. While you celebrate, enjoy them with your favorite someone.
NATIONAL EGG ROLL DAY HISTORY
Van’s Kitchen founded National Egg Roll Day in 2019 to honor the company’s founding in June of 1986. Van and Kim Nguyen, two deserving Vietnamese immigrants, made their ultimate American Dream come to life with their passion for creating authentic egg rolls. Like many immigrant families before them, Van and Kim Nguyen came from Vietnam. Together, they established a home and family business in Dallas, Texas. They diligently hired hard-working employees, filling out paperwork in a language that was not their own. The Nguyens created a business model based solely on their greatest strength: making authentic egg rolls for those they love. Using only fresh, whole ingredients and crafting the egg rolls in artisan batches, Van’s Kitchen sets themselves apart by maintaining their decades-long commitment to making every bite the best one.
