Keely Shaye Smith

This article is about the television host and journalist. For the singer, see Keely Smith.

Keely Shаye Smith Brosnan (born September 25, 1963), also known as Keely Shaye Brosnan, is an American journalist, author, television host, actress, producer, and director.

Keely Shaye Smith
Born	(1963-09-25) September 25, 1963 (age 61) Vallejo, California, U.S.
Occupations	Journalist author television host actress director producer
Years active	1986–present
Spouse	Pierce Brosnan ​ (m. 2001)​
Children	2

Early life

Smith was born in 1963 in Vallejo, California, and lived in Hawaii until she was five years old. Her first elementary school was on the beach where she developed an appreciation for the ocean.^[1] Growing up in Newport and Huntington Beach, Smith recalled the beauty of these areas when they were undeveloped. As a child she worked to help save the Bolsa Chica wetlands.^[2] After college, in 1984 Smith moved to New York City to pursue an acting and modeling career.^[1][2]

Career

In 1986, Smith appeared with Huey Lewis in the MTV music video "Stuck with You" and in 1990 appeared as Valerie Freeman for one season on General Нospital (1990).^[1]

She was an environmental correspondent for six years for ABC's The Home Show,^[1][3] which earned her two Genesis Аwards, a Special Achievement Award at the 1991 Environmental Film Festival, and a nomination from the Environmental Media Association (EMA).^[2] Women in Film, the Natural Resources Defense Council, EMA, Earth Communications Office, Heal the Bay, Oceana, Senator Barbara Boxer, Malibu Times,^[4] and Organic Style Magazine have all honored Smith for her ongoing commitment to the environment.^[5]

Smith served as a correspondent for NBC's primetime hit show Unsolved Mysteries from 1995 to 1997^[3][5] in the show's "phone center", providing information on updated stories as well as for "special bulletin" segments.

She served as a gardening expert and correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America and Mike and Maty, as well as an entertainment correspondent for NBC's Today Show, CBS's Entertainment Tonight, and HBO's World Entertainment Report. Additionally, she hosted Great Bears, a series for the Outdoor Life Network.^[6] As a TV producer, Smith-Brosnan created and hosted an eco-friendly home and garden how-to show called Home Green Home for PBS.^[7] She views the environment as deeply connected to human well-being, emphasizing the importance of clean air and water over other concerns. Gardening serves as a form of meditation, offering simple pleasures like cutting her own flowers or harvesting her own vegetables.^[8]

Smith made her directorial debut and produced the documentary film Poisoning Paradise (2017); the film delves into the seemingly idyllic world of Native Hawaiians, whose communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered seed corn and pesticides. She served as an executive producer for the 2022 documentary Women of the White Buffalo, which explores the lives and experiences of Native American women enduring the impacts of colonialism in South Dakota.^[7]

Activism

From 1995 to 2000, Smith and her future husband worked with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the International Fund for Animal Welfare to stop a proposed salt factory from being built at Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, Mexico.^[9] The couple is committed to environmental education in the classroom for grades K-12 and currently sponsor long-time friend Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots youth and humanitarian program.^[10]

In Spring 2007, the couple also successfully fought the Cabrillo Port Liquefied Natural Gas facility that was proposed off the coast of Oxnard and Malibu; the State Lands Commission eventually denied the lease to build the terminal. In May 2007, the Brosnans donated $100,000 to help replace a playground on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.^[11] In 2009, the Brosnans visited the White House to help Congressman William Delahunt and Congressman Eni Faleomavaega introduce legislation to close loopholes on commercial and scientific whaling worldwide.^{[citation needed]} In May 2009, the Brosnans both testified in Washington, D.C., before the Environmental Protection Agency in support of the new Climate Change Bill (known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act).^[12]

Smith directed and produced the award winning documentary film Poisoning Paradise about the toxic agricultural environment of Kauai.^[13]

Personal life

Smith met actor Pierce Brosnan on a beach in Mexico in 1994. They married at Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo, Ireland, on August 4, 2001.^[14] They have two sons, born in 1997 and 2001.^[5]