The quintessential panache and star power of Cary Grant indirectly helped Pierce Brosnan land the role of Remington Steele in his first Hollywood audition.
In the action-comedy TV series “Remington Steele,” which was a 10 p.m. show on NBC from 1982 to 1986, the titular criminal-turned-detective works as the fake boss of his private investigator partner Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist).
During a career retrospective interview with Vanity Fair in 2025, Brosnan shared how he drew inspiration from Grant in the process of creating Remington Steele’s persona. “I had a mountain of black hair back in the day, I was as skinny as a whippet, and I thought I was Cary Grant,” Brosnan said. “Bob Butler, who directed the show, said, ‘We’re making an old movie,’ and I loved Cary Grant movies, so I immersed myself in the world of Cary Grant.”
Cary Grant taught Pierce Brosnan how to look cool in a suit
Taking inspiration from the 1940s British movie star’s charisma and confidence, Brosnan’s cool, blunt performance as Remington Steele made him a show business upstart in the 1980s.
Reflecting on the significant impact “Remington Steele” had on his career, Brosnan described how the part shaped his perception in Hollywood. “In creating Remington Steele and that style of performance, suit acting — suits always look good on me,” he started. “From Remington, I launched myself into that style of performance … but I was so stamped by the character it took me a while to break away from it. And I don’t think I ever really did break away from it, but it was the steppingstone to [James] Bond.”
Brosnan went on to play pop culture’s most recognizable secret agent in four films, beginning with 1995’s “GoldenEye.”