Who is Keely Shaye Smith, Pierce Brosnan’s wife? The Bond star met the actress turned philanthropist on a beach in Mexico … and they’ve been married for 23 years

Aug 30 , 2024

Pierce Brosnan and his wife Keely Shaye Smith just celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary. Photos: @keelyshayebrosnan, @piercebrosnanofficial/Instagram

Brosnan is known for being a gentleman – Halle Berry recently took to praising him in an interview, saying he ‘restored my faith in men’ when they worked together on 2002’s Die Another Day

His wife Keely Shaye Smith is a ‘director, producer, documentary filmmaker, journalist, activist, philanthropist and organic gardener’ … and she’s not afraid to stand up to body shamers

Irish actor and Hollywood legend Pierce Brosnan has long been known as the ultimate dream man – not only for the characters he’s played, but thanks to his IRL personality. Now, his status as a walking green flag has been solidified even more by his Die Another Day (2002) co-star Halle Berry.

Earlier this month, the legendary Bond girl opened up about her time working with Brosnan on the film during a Wired video interview. “He will always be my Bond, always. I’m a Pierce Brosnan fan,” she gushed. “He restored my faith in men on that movie. There couldn’t be a human who is more of a gentleman than Pierce Brosnan.”

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The comment went viral and the internet did its thing, with fellow Brosnan fans from all over the world recalling happy encounters with the former 007. From background actors to hotel staff and complete strangers, many recounted being struck by Brosnan’s kindness and humility. But which lucky lady won his heart?

The 71-year-old has been happily married to American actress and journalist Keely Shaye Smith for 23 years now. But who is Smith and what do we know about her?

She’s a multi-hyphenate

Pierce Brosnan with his wife, Keely Shaye Smith, in 2006. Photo: AP

Per her Instagram bio, Smith is a “director, producer, documentary filmmaker, journalist, activist, philanthropist and organic gardener”. She started her career as a model and actress before moving on to environmentalism as a correspondent, per People magazine. She also advocates for animal rights. One of her and Brosnan’s sons, Paris, called her “the main philanthropist in the family”.

Smith co-directed the 2017 documentary Poisoning Paradise, which exposed environmental injustice in Hawaii. She also hosted a home gardening show, Home Green Home, on PBS in the mid-90s.

How did she meet Brosnan?

Keely Shaye Smith met Pierce Brosnan 30 years ago on a beach in Mexico. Photo: @keelyshayebrosnan/Instagram

Mr and Mrs Brosnan met on a beach in Mexico in 1994 and soon dating, per Women’s Weekly. This year, on their 30th anniversary of meeting, Smith wrote on her Instagram, “4-8-94 was my lucky day. How could I have known as I walked around the corner and into your life that my destiny was about to change forever? Thanking my lucky stars that I had the courage to introduce myself to you and forever grateful for the connection and family we share three decades later.”