Pierce Brosnan’s first wife was Cassandra Harris, an Australian actress born Sandra Colleen Waites on December 15, 1948, in Sydney. She was known for her roles in films such as For Your Eyes Only (1981), where she portrayed Countess Lisl, and for her appearances in the TV series Remington Steele, which starred Brosnan.
Harris and Brosnan married on December 27, 1980. She had two children from a previous marriage—Charlotte and Christopher Harris—whom Brosnan adopted after their biological father, Dermot Harris, passed away in 1986. The couple also had a son together, Sean Brosnan, born in 1983.
Tragically, Cassandra Harris was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1987. She fought the illness with remarkable courage and grace, questioning every prescribed treatment and deciding which ones to take, which to reject. Despite her efforts, she passed away on December 28, 1991, at the age of 43, just days before what would have been her 11th wedding anniversary.
Brosnan has been open about his grief over the loss of his first wife and daughter, Charlotte, who also succumbed to ovarian cancer in 2013. He has described the experience as “the longest night of my life” and has since become an advocate for cancer research.
For more information about Cassandra Harris and her contributions to film and television, you can visit her Wikipedia page.
