Cassandra Harris
About
Biography
Biography
An experienced actress with a stage pedigree in her native Australia, Cassandra Harris was best known for her appearance as the second Bond girl in "For Your Eyes Only" (1981), as well as for her devoted marriage to future 007 star, Pierce Brosnan. Born Sandra Colleen Waites on Dec. 15, 1948 in Sydney, Australia, Harris began her acting career at 12 years old, when she enrolled at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1961. A few years later, she gained stage experience in a Sydney production of "Boeing-Boeing" (1964-65), French playwright Marc Camoletti's classic comedic farce. From there, Harris developed into a successful actress in her native country before beginning to appear in movies like "The Greek Tycoon" (1978), a jet set film detailing the lives of the rich and famous that was poorly reviewed before becoming a bomb at the box office. After a small turn in the heist thriller, "Rough Cut" (1980), starring Burt Reynolds, she had a small, but pivotal turn as the Countess Lisl von Schlaf - mistress to Milos Columbo (Chaim Topol), a former smuggler turned ally to James Bond (Roger Moore) - in "For Your Eyes Only" (1981). At the time of filming, Harris was already married to her famous husband, Pierce Brosnan, whom she met at the National Theatre in London some years earlier. Harris had met privately with Bond producer, Albert R. Broccoli, to first pitch the idea of Brosnan playing 007.
In fact, Harris was an enthusiastic proponent of the idea to both the producer and her husband, which eventually led to Brosnan landing the part in the mid-1990s. Meanwhile, the actress stepped back into the role of wife and mother, raising her children, Christopher and Charlotte - both from her previous marriage to Dermot Harris, younger brother of famed British actor Richard Harris - and Sean, her only child born of her union with Brosnan. As her husband became the star of the popular series, "Remington Steele" (NBC, 1982-87) and flirted with the possibility of becoming James Bond after Roger Moore retired, Harris was stricken by a sudden battle with ovarian cancer in 1987. For four years, she battled the disease, moving with her family from the bustle of Los Angeles to the quieter canyon life of Malibu, CA, where she struggled to convalesce. Brosnan devoted himself to her recovery and even slowed down his work schedule in order to spend more time with her. Harris initially fought off the disease, but in the 1990s it came back with greater force and eventually led to her death on Dec. 28, 1991. She was 43 years old.
By Shawn Dwyer
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