Liam Neeson - Biography

Last Editor: loveleamanda09				Liam Neeson Biography -   Name : Liam Neeson Date of birth : 7 June 1952 Place of birth : Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK Birth name : William John Neeson Height : 6' 4

Liam Neeson Trivia -

On 11 July 2000 he fractured his right pelvis and chipped his left pelvis and sustained multiple abrasions to his legs after hitting a deer while riding his 1989 Harley Davidson motorcycle in Connecticut. He was thrown off the motorcycle just before it smashed into a nearby tree. A passing motorist found Neeson crawling along the roadside. Due to this accident he was unable to appear as a "Force Ghost" in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), and is only heard as a disembodied voice in the scene following Anakin's slaughter of the Tusken Raider Camp. Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#74). [1995] Was named an Officer of the Order of British Empire (OBE) by Britain's Queen Elizabeth on New Year's Eve, 1999 Children, with Natasha Richardson, Michael Antonio (b. 1995) and Daniel Jack (b. 1997). Loves fly-fishing Was a boxer as a teen-ager in Northern Ireland, which resulted in getting his nose broken at the age of 15. Nevertheless, he went on to win the Irish Youth Championship. A brief blackout after one of his fights, however, caused him to give up the ring for good. Won a libel case against newspapers who claimed that his marriage was in trouble. [October 1998] Ranked #69 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Has dated actresses Helen Mirren, Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, Barbra Streisand and singer Sinead O'Connor. First worked with future wife actress Natasha Richardson on the TV mini-series "Ellis Island" (1984) (mini). Son-in-law of actress Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson. Was considered for the role of James Bond in GoldenEye (1995). Attended Queen's University of Belfast for a short while to study physics and computer science, but flunked out. Nominated for Tony award for Best Leading Actor in a play for role in "The Crucible", May 2002. Was connected to David Lean's production of "Nostromo", but he withdrew before pre-production began and Lean's subsequent death. He was considered for the role of Van Helsing in Dracula (1992) (and reportedly he very much wanted the role), however, he was turned down when Anthony Hopkins showed an interest in the role and ultimately got it. Brother-in-law of Joely Richardson. Has worked together repeatedly with Laura Linney, including in Kinsey (2004), Love Actually (2003), and in a Broadway revival of "The Crucible", having played husband and wife in Kinsey (2004) and "The Crucible". The two have joked about feeling like "an old married couple". Wanted to be in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) so badly, he didn't even bother reading the script. Graduated from the Gaiety School of Drama in Dublin, Ireland. A member of the Dublin Shakespeare Theatre Festival where his past credits include 'Hamlet', 'King Richard II' and 'Alls Well That Ends Well'. He recalled his most embarrassing moment in acting as when, relatively early in his career, he auditioned for the role of Fezzik, the giant, in The Princess Bride (1987). He said Rob Reiner had a look of disgust on his face when he realized that Neeson was "only" 6' 4", and 'Andre the Giant' ended up getting the role. Though he was eager to be a part of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) (the first of the Star Wars prequel trilogy), he reportedly hated working on the film, once shooting started, remarking that he "felt like a puppet". Was chosen for the role of Gawain in Excalibur (1981) primarily because director John Boorman wanted a large man in the role for the duel between Gawain and Lancelot (the late Nicholas Clay). Excalibur (1981) is where Neeson met Helen Mirren, who was playing Morgana. Auditioned for, and was accepted to the Bristol Old Vic Drama School in England, but decided to attend the Gaiety School of acting instead so he could stay active with the Dublin Shakespeare Festival while in school. Is an honorary board member of the CDS (Conference of Drama Schools) in England, which also includes Sir Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole and Jeremy Irons (to name a few). The board oversees all drama schools in England. Was very active with the Royal National Theatre in London during the nineties where he performed a wide range of Shakespeare's works. Was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Play): in 1993 for a revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie," and in 2002 for a revival of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." In mid-March 2009, his wife Natasha Richardson had a skiing accident that made her suffer a brain injury from which she shortly afterward died in hospital. Liam interrupted filming of his movie Chloe (2009) in order to be by her side in the hospital.

Liam Neeson Detailed Biography -

Liam Neeson has twice been nominated for Tony Awards; first for his Broadway debut in 1993 in the Roundabout Theater's revival of Eugene O'Neill's 1921 drama Anna Christie; and second in March of 2002, for his Broadway role as John Proctor in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, opposite Laura Linney. For his highly acclaimed performance in Steven Spielberg's watershed film Schindler's List, Neeson earned Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations. Neeson's recent film roles include starring as sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, again opposite Linney, who portrayed his wife, in the highly acclaimed Oscar nominated Kinsey, directed by Bill Condon. Recently Neeson has been seen among the ensemble cast of Love Actually. He also starred in Martin Scorsese's epic Gangs ofNew York and appeared with Harrison Ford in the nuclear submarine film K-19: The Widowmaker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Neeson starred as the archetypal Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace. Additional motion picture credits include Gun Shy, opposite Sandra Bullock; and the role of Jean Valjean in the screen adaptation of the Victor Hugo classic Les Miserables. In 1996, Neeson starred as the Irish hero in Neil Jordan's Michael Collins, for which he received Best Actor honors at the Venice Film Festival, a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor, and London's prestigious Evening Standard Award for Best Actor. The Irish-born actor joined the prestigious Lyric Players Theatre in Belfast in 1976 and made his professional acting debut in Joseph Plunkett's The Risen People. After two years with the Lyric Players he joined the famed repertory company of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. In 1980, John Boorman spotted him playing Lennie in a stage production of John Steinbeck's OfMice and Men and cast him in Excalibur, the epic saga of the Arthurian legend. Since then Neeson has appeared in more than 30 films, playing a wide range of characters. These include: Dino De Laurentiis's epic remake of The Bounty, opposite Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins; the critically acclaimed Lamb, for which he received an Evening Standard Drama Award nomination for his haunting portrayal of a priest tormented by doubts; Andrei Konchalovsky's Duet for One with Julie Andrews; A Prayer for the Dying, opposite Mickey Rourke and Bob Hoskins; Roland Joffe's The Mission, opposite Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons; the courtroom drama Suspect, with Cher; The Good Mother, with Diane Keaton; Sam Raimi's fantasy-thriller Darkman; and David Leland's boxing drama Crossing the Line. Subsequent films include Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives, Before andAfter with Meryl Streep, and Rob Roy, opposite Jessica Lange. Neeson's passion for the classics was again rewarded critically in the PBS American Playhouse production of Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome. Neeson's theater work also includes portraying Oscar Wilde in David Hare's critically acclaimed The Judas Kiss, which opened in London's West End and subsequently on Broadway in 1998. Neeson next stars in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, opposite Christian Bale.