Who Is Pierce Brosnan’s Wife? All About Keely Shaye Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan may be a Hollywood heartthrob (even at age 70), but in reality, he’s a devoted dad and husband.

He married Keely Shaye Brosnan (née Smith) in 2001 after the couple first met in 1994. They went on to welcome two sons: Dylan and Paris.

Keely is a former model and actress, who worked in TV and film. She later became an on-air correspondent, using her platform to support environmentalism and animal rights. In 2016, Keely made her directorial debut with the film Poisoning Paradise, which shed light on toxic environmental practices in Kauai, Hawaii, where she and Pierce live for part of the year.

After more than two decades of marriage, Keely and Pierce are still head over heels in love with each other.

“We like each other a lot. We love each other a lot,” the Dante’s Peak star told Fox News in December 2023. “Watching someone grow up with you and grow old with you is a very spiritual journey. To watch each other change … whatever it may be, the hair, the waist. But it’s the love in the heart.”

Keep reading for everything to know about Pierce Brosnan’s wife, Keely Shaye Brosnan.

 

She started as an actress before becoming a journalist and filmmaker

Keely first appeared on screen as the leading lady in the 1986 music video for “Stuck with You” by Huey Lewis and the News and had a few small TV and film roles in the 1980s.

She then transitioned to journalism and documentary filmmaking, with the mission to spread awareness about environmental injustice and animal rights. Her work has ranged from protecting marine life in oceans to advocating for safe environmental practices in Mexico and Hawaii. (Keely grew up on Oahu and the couple now divide their time between Kauai and Malibu, California.)

Keely has both reported on and volunteered her time to support organizations working toward marine mammal and wetland protection; anti-nuclear weapon, clean air and clean water campaigns; the preservation of endangered species and environmental education in schools. She has been honored by numerous organizations for her efforts, and Pierce has joined her in her commitment to protecting the environment and vulnerable animal species.

They both use Instagram to speak about environmental and social justice issues that are important to them.

 

She has served as an entertainment correspondent

Before shifting her focus to environmental causes, Keely served as an entertainment correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and Today, interviewing celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Cameron Diaz and Michael Jordan. In fact, she first met her husband at a party in Mexico in 1994, where she was on assignment to interview Ted Danson.

Before that, she was a correspondent for Unsolved Mysteries and Good Morning America.

 

She was immediately smitten with Pierce — and he with her

Upon the couple’s first meeting in Mexico, Keely told PEOPLE in 2001 that she found Pierce “captivating,” adding that he was “tall, dark and handsome — everything that everybody would immediately be attracted to. He had this mischievous sparkle in his eyes. I thought, ‘Wow! Wow!’”

Of her famous husband, she added, “I understand why women find him sexy, because he is an appealing man. He really likes and appreciates women. … He’s intelligent, captivating and his real beauty emanates from the soul. And, like a fine wine, he’s aging beautifully.”

Pierce had similarly lovely things to say about his other half, telling PEOPLE, “I found a great woman in Keely Shaye. Not if I searched a million times over would I find one as good.”

 

She’s a gardener and horticulturist

She appeared on ABC’s Home Show to discuss her knowledge of plants and vegetables, which turned into a regular gig. She also served as a gardening correspondent for Good Morning America and created and hosted Home Green Home for PBS, a how-to series to inspire home gardeners.

Her work on ABC’s Home Show led to several awards, including two Genesis Awards and a Special Achievement Award at the Environmental Film Festival.

 

She briefly modeled

Keely was a young model, but her modeling career was short-lived. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 1995, she explained why. “I realized at some point I was propagating a beauty myth, so I left modeling and acted for a year,” she shared.

Still, serving as one half of a Hollywood couple has meant she’s graced the pages of major magazines, including a joint Redbook cover with her then-boyfriend Pierce in which she can be seen breastfeeding the couple’s infant son, Dylan.

She also appeared in Vogue‘s shape issue in 2006, telling the magazine, “I never shy away from … my curves. I never hide in baggy clothing.” Pierce told the publication he thought his wife was “stunning,” adding, “I love my wife’s curves.”

 

She has supported Pierce through tough times

Pierce was previously married to Australian actress Cassandra Smith, who died of ovarian cancer in 1991. Pierce’s daughter, Charlotte, died of the same disease as her mother in 2013, and is survived by her brothers, Sean and Christopher.

In an Instagram post in 2013, the actor called Keely his “North Star” and echoed those sentiments to Irish Central that same year. “Keely has always been kind and compassionate and encouraged me to mourn Cassie. … I suppose Keely is my North Star, always looking out for me”

 

She’s a mom of twoKeely and Pierce have two sons of their own, Dylan and Paris, who are following in their parents’ footsteps as models, actors and environmental advocates. “Our mom is great,” Paris told PEOPLE in 2019. “Our mother has always been hands-on with everything she does whether it’s Heal the Bay, Save the Whales or getting our dad involved in things. She’s always been the main philanthropist in the family.”

In November 2022, Dylan and Paris were featured in PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive issue as part of a portfolio on famous sons. The brothers gushed about their parents, with Dylan saying, “We have the best parents you could ask for.”

 

She and Pierce had a memorable first date

Though they travel the world as part of their careers, the Brosnan brood has been laid back seemingly from day one. On their first date a few days after meeting, Keely told PEOPLE in 2001 that they “sat down under the stars and he held my hand. There were fireworks going off over our heads, and Kenny Loggins was singing. We talked until 3 in the morning.”

In 2017, Pierce opened up about the quality time they share together, noting, “My wife and I took a short road trip up to Santa Barbara — we were going for a romantic weekend and to look at houses and drink great wine. We didn’t listen to any music, but we just listened to the sounds of each other’s voices and sorted out the world.”

The Remington Steele star added of his ideal day off, “It was yesterday. I painted in my studio, then I went down and sat on the beach, read and did some drawing — and then I had lunch with Keely.” After taking on afternoon school pick-up duties for then-teenage son Paris, Pierce added, “Around 5 o’clock, I went out and watched the sun go down. Keely sat beside me, we had a glass of champagne and talked about the day. It’s very simple — and the best.”

Every so often, the couple will attend a Hollywood event together. The GQ Men of the Year party in November 2022 was one of those occasions. Pierce, who donned a blue velvet suit jacket, and Keely, who looked chic in a lace skirt and black blazer, were photographed walking hand-in-hand down the red carpet.

 

She’s a newly minted executive producer

Keely turned her talents to producing, working on the 2022 documentary Women of the White Buffalo, which chronicles the lives and stories of Native American women living under colonialism in South Dakota.

 

She says the secret to their happy marriage is “being best friends”

Keely and Pierce have been married for more than 20 years. When talking with PEOPLE, she had nothing but good things to say about her husband.

“He has a big heart, generous, warm, kind heart,” Keely said.

The pair also shared their secrets to sustaining a happy and healthy marriage.

“Solving problems day in, year after year, liking each other, getting on with each other,” Brosnan said.

Keely chimed in: “Being best friends.”

 

Pierce finds ways to honor her in his work

In his film Black Adam, Pierce wore his actual wedding ring and a watch gifted to him by Keely.

“I decided to wear it for this character. It seemed appropriate,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “The man [has] traversed the ages of time. He’s one of the most powerful sorcerers in the DC comic book world. He did have a wife called Enza, and she was even more powerful than him I hear.”

Keely was very touched by the gesture, adding, “I love those emblems, [and] that he took those with him into the superpower, superhero realm.”

 

She and Pierce attended the Met Gala in 2023

The couple posed together on the red carpet before heading inside the star-studded fashion event. Pierce threw it back to his James Bond days in a black suit and bow tie, while Keely dazzled in a black sequin gown and a sheer cape.

 

She and Pierce cherish birthdays

In May 2023, Pierce spent his 70th birthday with Keely and his mother, May. The trio were spotted dining at Nobu in Malibu, California.

“Happy Birthday my darling @piercebrosnanofficial 🥂 Wishing you a blessed, bountiful and adventurous new trip around the sun. It’s not how old you are … it’s how bold you are in life. I love you with all my heart,” Keely wrote on Instagram.