Liam Neeson's Early Life
William John Neeson was born on June 7, 1952, in Ballymena, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland, to Barnard Neeson – a Catholic school caretaker – and his wife Kitty, a cook. He was the third child in the family and the only boy among four siblings.
He developed an interest in competitive boxing at the age of nine, winning tournaments before quitting at the age of 17. He was also interested in football, but his love for drama and acting began when he attended Queen's University in Belfast, before leaving school to work a number of odd jobs.
Liam Neeson's Career
After years spent working in theater and small stages in Northern Ireland, he made his film debut in the religious epic Pilgrim's Progress (1978). More prominent roles followed once he moved to London and subsequently to Hollywood. 1993 proved to be his banner year, though; made his Broadway debut in Anna Christie, which earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play, and also starred as Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's 1993 holocaust film Schindler's List, which won the Oscar for Best Picture and won him a nomination for Best Actor.
He followed that up with several notable performances in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Gangs of New York (2002), Love Actually (2003), Kinsey (2004), The Chronicles of Narnia franchise (2005-2010), and Batman Begins (2005). He experienced a career resurgence in 2008 thanks to his turn as a retired CIA operative in Taken, which was a commercial hit and spawned two sequels in 2012 and 2014. Later prominent roles include Clash of the Titans (2010), The Lego Movie (2014), and Silence (2016)
Liam Neeson's Personal Life
Neeson and Excalibur co-star Helen Mirren lived together from 1980-85, in which time they became close and he credited her with helping him find an agent and establish his footing in Hollywood.
In 1993, he and Anna Christie co-star Natasha Richardson started dating, and they tied the knot the following year. They welcomed two sons during their marriage: Irish actor Micheál (born 1995) and entrepreneur Daniel (born 1996). They were married till 2009, when Natasha tragically lost her life in a skiing accident. Neeson has kept his personal life distinctly separate ever since.
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