Liam Neeson
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in December 1999
Neeson suffered a broken pelvis when his motorcycle collided with a deer near his upstate New York home on July 11, 2000.
Biography
From real life legends like Oskar Schindler and Michael Collins to classic literature's Jean Valjean, actor Liam Neeson's masterful characterizations of flawed men capable of extraordinary things established him as a performer of great note, while managing to bring an uncommon humble grace to his profession. Though he started performing in the mid-1970s as part of an Irish acting company, Neeson earned international prominence years later when he played the flawed, but ultimately redemptive German industrialist in "Schindler's List" (1993), which earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Neeson would sink his teeth into "Michael Collins" (1996), playing an Irish hero revered by multiple generations, then settled into a series of lesser known, but no less accomplished performances in features, including a compelling performance in the title role of "Kinsey" (2004). Along with turns as Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace" (1999), Zeus in the remake of "Clash of the Titans" (2010) and John "Hannibal" Smith in "The A-Team" (2010), Neeson developed an unexpected second career as a middle-aged action hero in the thriller "Taken" (2008) and its sequels, making him an international box office heavyweight as well as a respected character actor.. Shockingly widowed in 2009 after his wife, actress Natasha Richardson, passed away after a ski-related concussion, Neeson continued to work steadily, becoming admired as much for the strength of character he exhibited in the wake of the family tragedy as he was for his acting talent. Whether appearing in big-budget blockbusters like "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) or smaller fare like "Chloe" (2009) and Martin Scorsese's "Silence" (2016), Liam Neeson consistently delivered quality work in both leading and supporting roles.
Born on June 7, 1952 in Ballymena, North Ireland, Neeson was raised in a working class family headed by his father, Barney, a custodian at a Catholic school, and his mother, Kitty, a cook in the public school system. When he was nine, Neeson began his amateur boxing career, though he was not allowed to compete until he was 11. He became Northern Ireland champion for three years, spending six years as the champion of his diocese. When he was about 15, Neeson entered the ring for three rounds against a British boy who proceeded to beat him senseless. Regardless, Neeson made it through the fight and even believed he had won. But when he climbed out of the ring, he suffered a blackout walking up a flight of stairs, which led him to quit the sport for good. By the time he reached Queen's University, Neeson had his sights set on becoming a teacher and began taking courses in physics. Because he lacked the structure and guidance he had enjoyed in his previous schooling, Neeson immediately became depressed and failed to return after completing his first year.
Neeson made an equally failed attempt to attend a teacher's college, which led to jobs as a forklift operator for the Guinness brewery and as an architect's apprentice. In 1976, he ventured into acting on a lark when he auditioned for Belfast's Lyric Players' Theatre Company. As luck would have it, the company was looking for someone to play the role of Irish Labor leader Big Jim Larkin in "The Risen People" (1976). Neeson was given the job thanks in part to his uncommon height (6'4"). Though only on stage for three minutes, Neeson nonetheless impressed the company enough to earn a spot with the Players, with whom he acted for two more years. After a move to Dublin, Neeson joined that city's famed Abbey Theatre, where a starring role as Lenny in a production of "Of Mice and Men" (1980) won the attention of director John Boorman, who cast the imposing actor as sword-wielding Sir Gawain in "Excalibur" (1981), a sweeping fantasy adventure about the famed Arthurian quest for the Holy Grail. Though "Excalibur" marked his official feature film debut, Neeson previously appeared on celluloid when he played the role of Jesus in an educational film adaptation of "The Pilgrim's Progress" (1979).
Neeson continued to work in British films, including a featured role in "The Bounty" (1984), then made his U.S. television debut in the three-part miniseries, "Ellis Island" (CBS, 1984). Following a co-starring role as Shane "Blackie" O'Neill in the miniseries based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's bestseller, "A Woman of Substance" (Syndicated, 1984), he offered compelling starring turns in the British-made features "The Innocent" (1984) and "Lamb" (1985). Neeson reprised Blackie O'Neill in the sequel, "Hold That Dream" (Syndicated, 1986), then had a supporting role in the historical drama, "The Mission" (1986), starring Robert De Niro. After a turn as an IRA operative in an episode of "Miami Vice" (NBC, 1984-89), Neeson made the big move to America, where he took up residence in Los Angeles and began his Hollywood career in earnest. One of his first big feature roles was playing a deaf mute charged with murder in the Cher vehicle, "Suspect" (1987), which led to other films like "The Good Mother" (1988), "Sweet as You Are"(1988) and "Satisfaction" (1988). Though the misfire "High Spirits" (1988) was a disappointment, the film did have its upside, bringing Neeson together with director Neil Jordan, who considered the actor to be the perfect choice for his dream project - a biopic of Irish revolutionary, Michael Collins. But that project was still years in the making.
Meanwhile, Neeson starred as "Darkman" (1990), a scientist savagely attacked and disfigured by a corrupt city developer's henchmen. Sam Raimi's direction - hearkening back to classic science fiction and horror thrillers - and Neeson's genuine and heartfelt portrayal helped to elevate the film above its comic book trappings and marked his debut as an American feature star. He later won romantic lead roles in the World War II drama "Shining Through" (1992) and Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives" (1992), before starring as the title character in John Madden's adaptation of "Ethan Frome" (1993), Edith Wharton's classic tale of a doomed love. After a bit of coaxing by actress Natasha Richardson, whom the roving ladies' man dated and eventually married in 1994, Neeson was drawn back to the stage to star opposite her on Broadway in "Anna Christie" (1992). The role proved to be a boon for Neeson, who attracted the attention of director and audience member Steven Spielberg. The director auditioned and eventually cast Neeson to play Oskar Schindler for the brutal, but moving look at the Holocaust, "Schindler's List" (1993). Neeson's soft-spoken masculinity and serene power made him a perfect choice to play the Austrian businessman who - while far from perfect - rescued over 1,000 Jews marked for death by the Nazis. His charismatic and nuanced performance won rave reviews and brought him a Best Actor Academy Award nomination.
After dozens of film appearances, Neeson had finally arrived following his performance in "Schindler's List." In 1994, Neeson co-starred as a small town doctor with Richardson in "Nell," starring Jodie Foster as a woman raised apart form civilization who has created her own language and way of life. His subsequent role as 18th Century Scottish legend "Rob Roy" (1995) may have unfortunately been released too close to "Braveheart" (1995), which many people felt were too similar, despite the fact the historical eras depicted in both were hundreds of years apart. He next starred opposite Meryl Streep as a father whose teenaged son (Edward Furlong) is charged with murder in "Before and After" (1996). Neeson's portrayal of the morally torn and irrational father was one of the few highlights of Barbet Schroeder's pedestrian film. Then after a decade of planning, Neil Jordan finally made his dream project, "Michael Collins" (1996), a compelling look at the famed Irish revolutionary who rose from the ashes of the Easter Uprising in 1916 to create a peaceful and free Ireland, though his management of the peace accords that led to civil war cost him his life at 31 years old. Neeson's strong performance earned plenty of critical kudos, but unfortunately very little award recognition.
In 1998, Neeson made a return to the Broadway stage as Oscar Wilde in David Hare's "The Judas Kiss," the story of the breaking of the beloved author and wit, chronicling his two year prison sentence, his decision to serve it out rather than flee the country, and his subsequent release as a different man. Critics were divided on Neeson's performance, with many considering him an unlikely physical type - despite the fact that Wilde was 6'3" and lumbering - while others strangely objected to Neeson's heterosexuality. Some critics did label his performance stiff and boring, while others praised the actor's magnetic and emotional portrayal. That same year, he took on another legend of literature, this time portraying Victor Hugo's timeless and noble victim of injustice Jean Valjean in Bille August's feature adaptation of "Les Miserables" (1998). Again his gentle, but intense presence and air of experience made him a natural choice for the role.
Neeson landed his highest profile role to date, playing Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in the much-anticipated prequel "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999). In terms of the world's chronology, Neeson had the distinct honor of being the first person ever to utter the words "May the force be with you." Neeson eagerly pursued the role, having been interested in being a part of the "Star Wars" universe for many years. While acting against several computer-generated characters added in editing - and given some uninspired dialogue - Neeson brought a quiet grace to his role and managed to keep the film from becoming a soulless special effects vehicle alongside castmates Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L Jackson and newcomer Jake Lloyd. Later that summer, he undertook a more sinister role, playing the professor who conducts psychological studies on a diverse trio of individuals in the remake of the "The Haunting" (1999), a modern adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel The Haunting of Hill House. Neeson also starred as a retiring DEA agent faced with one last exasperating case in the dark romantic comedy "Gun Shy" (2000), co-starring and produced by Sandra Bullock.
While Neeson did not appear in the subsequent "Star Wars" installments - save for a brief voice-over cameo in "Episode II - Attack of the Clones" (2002) - he did co-star with Harrison Ford in "K-19: The Widowmaker" (2002), adroitly playing a noble, sensitive Russian submarine captain who clashes with his stern taskmaster and superior (Ford) when their vessel becomes the subject of a nuclear accident with international repercussions. Neeson also more than held his own with Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz in Martin Scorsese's epic crime saga, "Gangs of New York" (2002). The actor played DiCaprio's father and the leader of the Dead Rabbits gang in the opening of the film, which portrayed the violent gang warfare between the natives of New York and ethnic immigrants in the middle of the 19th century. Dialing down to a more sensitive mode, Neeson appeared in the large ensemble of writer-director Richard Curtis' multi-arc romantic comedy "Love Actually" (2003), effectively playing a recently widowed stepfather who struggles to forge a deeper relationship with his late wife's son (Thomas Sangster).
Neeson gave a bravura performance as the noted sex researcher Alfred Kinsey in writer-director Bill Condon's biopic "Kinsey" (2004) opposite Laura Linney, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor, though he was snubbed for a nomination at the Oscars. The following year, he appeared in the epic historical drama, "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005), which took place in the relative calm between the 2nd and 3rd Crusades of the 12th century. Neeson played Godfrey of Ibelin, a Crusader knight who calls upon his long-lost son (Orlando Bloom) to help him defend Jerusalem from Muslim invaders. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film provoked little outrage for its subject matter despite a post-9/11 world and treated Muslims - usually easy bad guy fodder for Hollywood - with fairness. Meanwhile, Neeson was appropriately ambiguous in the role of the malevolent Henri Ducard, a mysterious member of the League of Shadows and a key figure in Bruce Wayne's early transformation into the Dark Knight (Christian Bale), in the excellent franchise reboot, "Batman Begins" (2005).
In "Breakfast on Pluto" (2005), Neil Jordan's romp through the cultural dustbin of 1970s London as seen through the eyes of Patrick "Kitten" Braden, a transvestite and suspected IRA bomber (Cillian Murphy), Neeson played Father Bernard, the parish priest in the Irish village where Braden was born and reared. Neeson next provided the voice of Aslan the Lion in the much-anticipated fantasy adventure, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (2005), adapted from the Christian-themed novel by C.S. Lewis. Following a turn as a Civil War colonel hell-bent on taking revenge in "Seraphim Falls" (2006), Neeson was one of several celebrities taking turns to narrate "Trumbo" (2008), a documentary look at screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted in the late 1940s by the House Un-American Activities Committee and who later posthumously earned an Academy Award for "Roman Holiday" (1953). Neeson then played a former government operative hunting down his daughter's kidnappers across Europe in the suspense thriller "Taken" (2009).
It was while filming Atom Egoyan's "Chloe" in March 2009 that Neeson learned his wife had taken a fall on a beginner's ski slope at Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada. He rushed to her side from his Toronto set, eventually flying back with her to New York, where Richardson was checked into Lenox Hill Hospital, amidst a flurry of rumors as to the exact nature of her injury. Keeping vigil with Neeson at the hospital were their two sons, Richardson's mother, Vanessa Redgrave, and her sister, Joely Richardson. On March 18, 2009, two days after the accident, Richardson was taken off life support following confirmation that she was officially brain dead.
As sympathy for Neeson and Richardson's family poured in, the grieving actor focused on his work while raising their children as a now single father. The erotic character study "Chloe" (2009) opened to tepid reviews, but Hayao Miyazaki's animated "Ponyo" (2009), for which Neeson provided the voice of the titular fish-girl's father, won raves. A bizarre and colorful take on Hans Christian Anderson's "Little Mermaid" fairy tale, "Ponyo" enjoyed the warm reception afforded Miyazaki's films and gave Neeson a successful project seen around the world. The actor had less luck with the weakly received psychological thriller "After.Life" (2009), where he played a mysterious funeral director helping Christina Ricci navigate the aftermath of her death, but he notched a worldwide blockbuster with "Clash of the Titans" (2010). An amped-up remake of the campy 1981 fan favorite, "Titans" saw Neeson ruling Mt. Olympus as Zeus and bellowing "Release the Kraken!" Fans of 1980s pop culture also enjoyed Neeson breathing life back into another of the decade's hits, playing John "Hannibal" Smith in the big-budget 2010 take on the 1980s TV series, "The A-Team." Chomping a cigar with a twinkle in his eye much like his TV counterpart, the late George Peppard, Neeson led the newest incarnations of the famous foursome through a big-budget, action-packed adventure highly anticipated by fanboys. The deep-voiced actor closed out the year by reprising his role as the lion king Aslan in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (2010).
Neeson starred in two films in 2011, the identity-theft thriller "Unknown" (2011) and Joe Carnahan's survival thriller "The Grey" (2011). The sequel "Wrath of the Titans" (2012) was followed by two high-profile summer pictures, the critically-derided "Battleship" (2012) and "The Dark Night Rises" (2012), the culmination of Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy. Later the same year, "Taken 2" (2012) brought back Bryan Mills in a new kidnapping drama. Neeson next starred in "Third Person" (2013), a romantic drama from writer-director Paul Haggis before returning to action thrillers with the airplane-set cat and mouse game "Non-Stop" (2014). He showed off his comedic side with several voice roles in the smash animated hit "The LEGO Movie" (2014), followed by a good-natured satire of his action-film persona as a legendary gunslinger in Seth MacFarlane's "A Million Ways to Die in the West" (2014). Neeson starred as haggard private detective Matthew Scudder in "A Walk Among the Tombstones" (2014), based on the best-selling mystery by Lawrence Block, before completing a trilogy with "Taken 3" (2014). Stylish crime thriller "Run All Night" (2015) was followed by a supporting role in the South Korean historical war drama "Operation Chromite" (2016) as General Douglas MacArthur. Neeson moved into CGI effects with his voice role as an adolescent boy's fantastical protector in fantasy drama "A Monster Calls" (2016), and co-starred as a Jesuit priest opposite Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver in Martin Scorsese's spiritual drama "Silence" (2016).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Special Thanks (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1976
Stayed with the Lyric Players' Theatre repertory company for two years
1976
Made stage debut in "The Risen People" at Lyric Player's Theatre in Belfast
1978
Joined the Abbey Theatre after moving to Dublin
1979
Made educational film debut as Jesus of Nazareth in a film based on John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress" (filmed for evangelical Bible students in Ireland)
1980
Played Lenny in an Abbey Theatre production of "Of Mice and Men"; was spotted by director John Boorman, who later cast him in "Excalibur"
1981
Made his feature film debut as Sir Gawain in Boorman's "Excalibur"
1984
Co-starred as Blackie O'Neill in the syndicated miniseries "A Woman of Substance"
1984
Made his U.S. TV debut on the CBS miniseries "Ellis Island"
1985
Acted in the TV-movie "Merlin and the Sword" (CBS)
1986
Reprised role of Blackie O'Neill in the syndicated miniseries sequel "Hold That Dream"
1987
Was featured as a deaf-mute man falsely accused of murder and defended by Cher in "Suspect"
1988
Landed a featured role in "The Good Mother," opposite Diane Keaton
1990
Made feature starring debut as the titular tortured antihero of "Darkman"
1992
Broadway debut in a critically-acclaimed perfomance in "Anna Christie" opposite Natasha Richardson
1992
Featured in Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives"
1993
Had his breakthrough screen role as Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List"; received Best Actor Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations
1994
Co-starred with Natasha Richardson and Jodie Foster in "Nell"
1995
Played title role in the Scotland set historical adventure "Rob Roy"
1996
Played a father whose teenaged son is charged with murder in "Before and After"; co-starred Meryl Streep
1996
Starred as the title revolutionary in Neil Jordan's controversial film "Michael Collins"
1998
Starred as Jean Valjean in Bille August's adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic tale of injustice "Les Miserables"
1998
Returned to Broadway playing Oscar Wilde in David Hare's drama "The Judas Kiss"
1999
Portrayed a professor who conducts psychological experiments in Jan De Bont's remake of "The Haunting"
1999
Starred as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in "Star Wars: Episode I -The Phantom Menace"
2002
Returned to Broadway in "The Crucible" opposite Laura Linney
2002
Appeared in the highly anticipated Martin Scorsese film "Gangs of New York"
2003
Played widower and single father Daniel in Richard Curtis' ensemble comedy "Love Actually"
2004
Played the title role in Bill Condon's "Kinsey"; received Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award nominations
2005
Cast opposite Orlando Bloom in Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven"
2005
Voiced Aslan in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"; feature based on the novel by C.S. Lewis
2005
Played Batman's mentor Henri Ducard in "Batman Begins," directed by Christopher Nolan
2005
Starred alongside Cillian Murphy as the priest who fathers him in Neil Jordan's indie drama "Breakfast on Pluto"
2007
Co-starred with Pierce Brosnan in the Western "Seraphim Falls"
2008
Reprised role as the voice of Aslan in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"
2008
Played a retired CIA operative whose daughter is kidnapped in "Taken"
2010
Co-starred with Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried in Atom Egoyan's erotic thriller "Chloe"
2010
Portrayed Zeus, the leader of the Gods of Mount Olympus, in a remake of "Clash of the Titans"
2010
Starred in the feature film adaptation of "The A-Team" as John 'Hannibal' Smith, originally played on the 1980s TV series by George Peppard
2010
Reprised role as the voice of Aslan in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"
2012
Cast as one of the leads in the sci-fi action feature "Battleship"
2012
Reprised role of Zeus in the fantasy adventure sequel "Wrath of the Titans"
2012
Reprised role in action sequel "Taken 2"
2012
Starred in the adventure thriller "The Grey," directed by Joe Carnahan
2012
Returned to Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise as Ra's Al Ghul in "The Dark Knight Rises"
2013
Made a cameo in "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues"
2014
Starred alongside Julianne Moore in the action-thriller "Non-Stop"
2015
Played a small part in the comedy "Ted 2"
2016
Appeared in the children's fantasy film "A Monster Calls"
2016
Played General Douglas MacArthur in the Korean War-themed historical drama "In-cheon sang-ryuk jak-jeon"
2016
Starred in Martin Scorsese's historical drama "Silence"
2017
Returned to "Love Actually" role for the charity-minded short film "Red Nose Day Actually"
2017
Starred in the title role in "Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House"
2018
Re-teamed with director Jaume Collet-Serra for action drama "The Commuter"
2018
Starred alongside Viola Davis in Steve McQueen-helmed crime drama "Widows"
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in December 1999
Neeson suffered a broken pelvis when his motorcycle collided with a deer near his upstate New York home on July 11, 2000.
"Doing ['Schindler's List'] made me aware of the importance of what you say on a 20-foot screen that 20 million people are going to see. There's a responsibility. It's not that I wanted to play good guys all the time. But it made me wary of doing a piece of trash just because it had a large budget. Not that there's anything wrong with entertainment, and Hollywood will churn that out regardless. It's just that I was suddenly made aware of the responsbilities I have as an actor."---Liam Neeson quoted in Los Angeles Times, November 20, 1994.
"It comes to the point where you feel raped, where nothing is private and everybody and his fucking mother knows something about my personal life. You come away feeling cheap and tacky."---Neeson on the tabloid press to USA Today, April 3, 1995.
"I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I get a chance to do something I love and they pay me lots of money for it. This is an honor to sit with you in this beautiful hotel in Los Angeles. It should be wintertime, man. I should be working in some factory in Belfast. But I'm not. I give thanks for that."---Neeson quoted in Movieline, May 1999.
"There's actors who want to know what their character had for breakfast last Tuesday. I'm not from that school. I had this amazing costume, half samurai, half Arthurian, and just having that on I got the guy. I knew how he stood. So do I know this world? Yes, I do. But if I have to describe it, I can't."---Neeson on how he as an actor approached Qui-Gon Jinn, his character in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" to Movieline, May 1999.
In perhaps a pique of anger, he reportedly told Jeannie Williams of USA Today that he was quitting movie work. Neeson later backtracked claiming it had been prompted by overwork.
"I don't set out to play real people; what usually motivates me is the quality of the writing. But yeah, I guess I may subconsciously seek them out. These are people who stand for something, something that is good to remind audiences of; they had a code of ethics that you perhaps don't find anymore."---Neeson on playing historical characters such as Oskar Schindler and Alfred Kinsey to The Observer, October 13, 2002.
"We're all groping our way through life and hoping we'll be accepted and tolerated. And, God bless people like Kinsey who can kind of shine a light into a murky area of our humanity."---Liam Neeson talking about Alfred Kinsey, who he portrayed in "Kinsey" to Cynthia McFadden of ABC's Primetime Live, October 14, 2004.
"I thought I'd be the pipe-smoking, roaring-fire, cardigan-wearing dad, and I became totally frozen," he admits. "I looked at my wife with pleading eyes: 'You go first!' She went first."---Neeson, on how he reacted when he sons asked him about sex, quoted to People, November 22, 2004.
