Liam Neeson was born on June 7, 1952, in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, to Katherine Brown, a cook, and Bernard Neeson, a school caretaker. He was raised in a Catholic household. Prior to pursuing a career in acting, Neeson worked as a forklift operator for Guinness, a truck driver, an assistant architect, and an amateur boxer. He initially intended to become a teacher, attending St. Mary's Teaching College in Newcastle.
Neeson's professional acting debut occurred in 1976 when he joined the Belfast Lyric Players' Theater, performing in the play "The Risen People." Two years later, he moved to Dublin's Abbey Theater, where he performed classical plays. Director John Boorman discovered him at the Abbey Theater and cast him in the film Excalibur (1981) as Sir Gawain, his first notable film role.
Throughout the 1980s, Neeson appeared in several films and British TV series, including The Bounty (1984),A Woman of Substance (1984),The Mission (1986),and Duet for One (1986). However, it was not until he moved to Hollywood that he began to gain recognition. His performance as a mute homeless man in Suspect (1987) received positive reviews, as did his supporting roles in The Good Mother (1988) and High Spirits (1988).
Neeson's breakthrough as a leading man came with the cult favorite Darkman (1990),directed by Sam Raimi. He then starred in Under Suspicion (1991) and Ethan Frome (1993),earning critical acclaim for his performance in Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives (1992). Steven Spielberg chose Neeson to play Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List (1993),which earned him Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor.
In 1993, Neeson made his Broadway debut in "Anna Christie," earning a Tony nomination for his performance. He married his co-star Natasha Richardson in 1994 and starred with her in Nell (1994). The couple had two sons, Micheal Richard Antonio Neeson (born June 22, 1995) and Daniel Jack Neeson (born August 27, 1996).
Neeson's subsequent roles included Rob Roy (1995),Michael Collins (1996),Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) as Qui-Gon Jinn, Kinsey (2004),Batman Begins (2005),and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005).
In 2008, Neeson found success as an action leading man with the release of Taken (2009),which became an unexpected box office hit. However, tragedy struck in 2009 when his wife Natasha Richardson suffered a fatal head injury while skiing and passed away days later. Neeson continued to act, returning to high-profile roles in 2010 with Clash of the Titans (2010) and The A-Team (2010),as well as the action films Unknown (2011),The Grey (2011),Battleship (2012),and Taken 2 (2012).
Neeson was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1999 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to drama.
