orig. Israel ben Eliezer (born 1700, probably Tluste, Podolia, Pol.—died 1760, Medzhibozh) Charismatic founder of Hasidism ( 1750). An orphan, he worked in synagogues and yeshivas, and when he retired to the Carpathian Mountains to engage in mystical speculation he gained a reputation as a ba'al shem, or healer. From 1736 he lived in the village of Medzhibozh and devoted himself to spiritual pursuits. He was widely known as the Besh, an acronym of Ba'al Shem ov. He rejected the asceticism of older rabbis and focused on communion with God, service of God in everyday tasks, and rescue of the sparks of divinity that, according to the Kabbala, are trapped in the material world. His discourses during Sabbath meals have been preserved; he left no writings of his own. He made a point of conversing with simple working people. Hasidism brought about a social and religious upheaval in Judaism, establishing a mode of worship marked by new rituals and religious ecstasy. Copyright © 1994-2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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Actor. Born Pierce Brendan Brosnan on May 16, 1953, in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. After an unsettled childhood, he moved to London, where he joined an experimental theater group and studied at the Drama Centre. After several stage roles in London, he moved to Los Angeles, where he was offered the lead in the detective series Remington Steele, which debuted in 1982. He won over American television audiences with his good looks and charm. They tuned in to catch the show's latest mystery and watch the sparks fly between the two lead characters played by Brosnan and his co-star Stephanie Zimbalist. Offered the role of the famous fictional British spy, James Bond, in 1986, Brosnan tried to get out of his contract for the show, but failed. The series ended the next year. After Remington Steele, Brosnan acted in several television and film projects, including the television miniseries Around the World in 80 Days (1989), and the hit comedy film Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). In 1995, Brosnan finally took on the legendary film role of James Bond in Goldeneye, following in the footsteps of such actors as Sean Connery and Roger Moore. He played Bond three more times: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002). In 2006, Daniel Craig took over the part for the remake of the first Bond picture, Casino Royale. Besides playing the smooth, but deadly superspy, Brosnan has tackled numerous dramatic and comedic roles, including The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) with Rene Russo, Laws of Attraction (2004) with Julianne Moore, and The Matador (2005) with Greg Kinnear. He is also reportedly slated to appear in a sequel to the comedy smash Mrs. Doubtfire. Brosnan has been married twice. His first marriage to actress Cassandra Harris lasted from 1980 until her death in 1991. Brosnan adopted her two children Charlotte and Christopher and the couple had a son, Sean. In 2001, he married Keely Shaye. They have two children together, Paris and Dylan. © 2006 A&E Television Networks. All rights reserved.

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