Pierce Brosnan fined for entering Yellowstone thermal area

By Rob Hotakainen | 03/15/2024 01:31 PM EDT

After his sentencing Thursday, the actor apologized and said he made “an impulsive mistake” when he walked into a restricted area at the national park to take a photograph.

Pierce Brosnan said he regretted his "transgression” after pleading guilty to “foot travel in a thermal area” for entering a restricted space at Yellowstone National Park. Getty Images/Matt Winkelmeyer

Pierce Brosnan, the Irish actor and film producer who portrayed the fictional superspy James Bond in four movies, pleaded guilty Thursday and was fined $500 for walking into a protected thermal area at Yellowstone National Park.

At a sentencing in Mammoth, Wyoming, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick also ordered Brosnan to pay a $1,000 community service payment to the Yellowstone Forever Geological Fund, a $30 court processing fee and a $10 special assessment.

Brosnan, 70, of Malibu, California, pleaded guilty to “foot travel in a thermal area” after he uploaded pictures to his Instagram account in November showing him standing in a thermal area at Mammoth Hot Springs.

Signs posted in the area warn visitors to stay on designated trails and to stay away from the park’s many thermal features.