Inside Pierce Brosnan's $100M James Bond-Inspired Estate
We knew Pierce Brosnan was wealthy, but we didn't know he was this rich.
The four-time James Bond movie star owns an extravagant piece of beachfront property in Malibu, California, and he's asking a whopping $100 million for it. That's one of the most expensive pieces of real estate owned by a celebrity that we've ever seen.
So what's it like to live like 007? Come take a look.
Shaken, Not Stirred
The property is a five-bedroom, 14-bathroom, Thai-inspired mansion on Broad Beach.
Total square footage? About 12,500 of shaken-not-stirred paradise.
Welcome to Orchid House
There are two parcels for sale in the $100 million deal, totaling 1.18 acres and covering 117 feet of ocean-lapped beachfront.
The main house is U-shaped, enclosing an outdoor dining area and palm trees.
Brosnan calls the estate Orchid House.
Built With a Bonus
Brosnan's wife, Keely Shaye, dreamed up Orchid House not long after "Die Another Day" hit theaters. The 2002 film was a success, earning $432 million worldwide on a $142 million budget.
That meant Brosnan was going to get a bonus (he is rumored to have made $16.5 million for the film). According to The Wall Street Journal, Brosnan turned to his wife and said, "'Go build your dream house.' And she did."
It Took 10 Years to Build
To build Keely's dream home, they purchased two plots of land on Malibu Beach, spending a total of $7.35 million. One piece of land had a midcentury modern home, which the couple lived in for a little while until they presumably had it razed.
It took the Brosnans around 10 years to build the estate to their liking, with seemingly every detail chosen by the couple, who got married in 2001.
Sounds like a tricky assignment.
Tomorrow Never Paid $100 Million
While it sounds like Keely was behind most of the estate's planning, Pierce certainly had a hand in its development.
The Southeast Asian-style architecture was inspired by his time shooting "Tomorrow Never Dies" in Thailand.
'I See You Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is'
The home has wide-plank teak flooring throughout, and the main living space has wall-length sliding glass doors.
The main room also looks out directly to the ocean and opens to the rear deck.
'I Always Enjoy Learning a New Tongue'
The kitchen features custom teak cabinets, quartz crystal countertops, two stoves and two farmhouse sinks placed side by side.
It's a large gourmet kitchen, and Pierce is a foodie, as is Keely. Pierce cooks pasta and paella and enjoys Indian curries. They prefer to dine in rather than indulge at a restaurant.
"Our best dinners are at home," Pierce told Huffington Post India. "We love going to fine wining and dining restaurants, but the pomp and glory take away the taste of the food."
'I Gave Him the Limp'
The second-story deck stretches along the entire back of the house.
The wood railing (probably teak, like all the other wood) features glass partitions, allowing for an unobstructed view of the ocean when looking out from the home's inside.
The Courtyard
A closer look at the courtyard reveals a custom pool built into the expansive stone patio.
The couple lived at this house for 18 years and raised their two children, Dylan and Paris, at the estate.
The two kids are now in their early twenties and have moved away, so the couple is looking to relocate to a smaller place.
It Used to Be for Rent
In 2012, not long after Orchid House was completed, the two decided to put their mansion up for rent — for just $250,000 a month.
Plus a $750,000 security deposit.
Dining Under the Sky(fall)
In 2015, the estate's garage caught fire, causing $1 million worth of damages and immolating Pierce's 2002 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, the same car he drove in "Die Another Day."
While the real car didn't have the adaptive camouflage package from Q, it was still worth quite a bit — around $230,000 at the time.
All That's Left
Pierce posted this on Instagram shortly after the fire.
"All that remains...of a very great Aston Martin...she was a beauty...however, a car is just a car...a life, is a precious gift of Beauty [sic] and holiness..." the actor wrote.
Dual Master Bathrooms
On the second level, the estate has a 4,000-square-foot master bedroom with two fireplaces. From this view, a freestanding tub in a master bathroom can be seen. There are two master baths, both illuminated by chandeliers.
Also on the second level is an artist's studio. Pierce began painting in 1987, after his first wife, Cassandra Harris, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
A $1.4 Million Painting
In 2018, Pierce sold this painting of Bob Dylan for charity, with a winning bid of $1.4 million.
Cassandra died in 1991 at the age of 43 years old. Their daughter, Charlotte, also died of ovarian cancer in 2013 at the age of 42.
"I had been painting out of pain, and now the pain sometimes comes through in color," Pierce said at the charity event, which was held to support AIDS research.
Bond, James Bond
Pierce hit worldwide fame with 1995's "Goldeneye" and played Bond in three subsequent movies.
This $100 million spread is quite different from the living conditions Pierce lived in when he was a child. He was raised in the town of Navan in Ireland. His father took off when he was a child, and his mother raised him.
When Pierce was 4, they moved to London, moving between familial houses in a peripatetic lifestyle.
.
Clinging to Acting with All His Heart
As he grew older, he pursued acting. A breakthrough occurred when he was acting in London and caught the eye of Tennessee Williams. The legendary playwright requested a meeting with Pierce and subsequently cast him for a small part in "The Red Devil Battery Sign."
Pierce's performance was well received, and Williams sent him a telegram that read, "Thank God for you, my dear boy."
"That made me hungry to be an actor," Pierce told The Guardian. "Once I found the world of acting, I clung to it with all my heart. It was liberating. I always dreamed of the movies. The stage, as exhilarating as it was, always terrified me. I wanted to be up on the silver screen."
Enjoy the Day by a Fire
The home was built by Ralph and Ross Anderson, a notable father-son architectural duo who helped developed the Northwest Regional style of architecture.
Outside, there is a large gas firepit with ample places to sit on modern wood furniture.
Filled With Amenities
It's only to be expected that a Bond-worthy house is decked out in amenities. The house includes a mirrored gym, a recording studio, an infrared sauna and a soundproof theater with tiered seating for 20 people and a bar.
"We screen first-run movies every weekend when we’re home," Keely told The Wall Street Journal. "It’s dinner and a movie."
The Art Studio
This freestanding, two-story pool house hosts a library — and we think it doubles as the actor's painting studio.
Painting With Pierce
In this post to his Instagram, Pierce shows off some of the paintings he had been working on a few years ago. One of them is the painting of Bob Dylan that fetched $1.4 million at auction.
The bookshelf is filled with dozens upon dozens of books.
The Pool House
The pool house includes a bar, two fireplaces and a scissor-truss ceiling.
There are two decks and an ensuite bedroom as well.
No Humidor?
There is no indication of a cigar-smoking room or humidor, which is a bit odd, given that Brosnan famously loves to smoke cigars, having picked up the habit during his five-year leading role as the titular character in "Remington Steele."
Leaving Malibu
With the kids all grown up, Pierce and Keely have moved on to Hawaii.
"I love Malibu, it has my heart," Pierce told The Wall Street Journal, adding that "home is very much here in the islands."
The two own a home on the north shore of Kauai. He's been living on the island part-time since the early 2000s. The two and their children have been staying at their Hawaiian home in 2020.
One of the Greats
At the age of 67, Bronson has had a long and accomplished career and has two Golden Globe nods.
The Irish Times ranked him at No. 15 in their 50 Greatest Irish Film Actors of All Time article.
One of the Most Expensive Estates in the World
At 12,500 square feet, this estate costs $8,000 per square foot.
The $100 million price tag easily puts it at being one of the most expensive homes in the world.
However, there's another home nearby with an even greater price tag. An 11,000 square-foot mansion in Malibu on 2.6 acres has been on sale for $115 million for nearly a year.
Will it Sell?
With the richest getting richer, homes can absolutely fetch $100 million price tags.
In 2019, WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum paid $100 million for a 14,000 square-foot mansion in Malibu. It was one of four homes in the United States to have closed at $100 million or more in 2019.
The pool of buyers may be small, but they have the cash to spare.
He Used to Live Next Door
While Keely and Pierce were building Orchid House, they lived in this home right down the street.
It's a cozier 3,412 square-foot home with three bedrooms and three bathrooms.
A Foreclosure-Turned-Fortune
Pierce purchased this house for $600,000 in 1996. It was in foreclosure, so Mr. Bond got a pretty sweet deal on the property.
After 15 years of ownership (and likely a good amount of remodeling), he put it on the market for a listing price of $3.9 million.
That price was a bit too high to acquire a buyer, and eventually, the house sold for $2.6 million in 2011.
Open Floor Plan Living
The main living area of the Brosnan's old Malibu hosue is mostly open floor plan, with exposed wood-beamed ceilings, wooden floors and old world-style chandelier lighting.
Famous Neighbors
Like Orchid House, the home is located on Broad Beach.
A number of other famous residents live in the area, including Dustin Hoffman, Ray Romano, Steven Spielberg and Danny DeVito.
In 2015, the area's celebs pledged a total of $31 million over the next 10 years to rebuild and fortify the neighborhood from the encroaching sea.
A More Modest Home
Interestingly, this home was priced at much closer to the surrounding neighborhood's median sales price.
West Malibu properties typically sell for a median of $3 million, according to realtor.com, with an average price-per-square footage of $1,323.
Was Bond a Foodie?
Was James Bond the fictional character a prototypical foodie? It sure seems like it.
What other character from 1950s Britain liked to eat suckling pig, avocado pear salad, guavas and coconut cream with a side of black crabs?
The Breakfast Nook
Or how about some shirred eggs, cornflakes and cream, a double espresso and a double pineapple juice for breakfast?
Whip up your own Bond meal and then snack on it here, in the breakfast nook.
Brosnan's Touches
After selling for $2.6 million in 2011, the old Malibu house once again changed hands in 2017 for $2.82 million. That's still quite less than what Pierce originally listed it for half a decade earlier.
But there do seem to be some lasting touches from the Brosnans. The chandelier in the bathroom mirrors the chandeliers in the $100 million house, as does the free-standing soaking tub.
A Golden Fountain
The central fountain in the courtyard appears Indonesian-inspired, and possibly a leftover from the Brosnans' time at the estate.
Hawaii Living
The couple hasn't posted pictures of their Hawaiian home, so we assume they like to live a more private life. Here's a glimpse into their Hawaiian lifestyle, happily posing in front of one of Pierce's paintings.
Keely isn't holding a martini, but they're still hanging loose.