Northern Irish actor William John Neeson was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2002. Throughout his career, he has been recognized with numerous awards and nominations. These include the Academy Award, the British Academy Film Award, two Tony Awards, three Golden Globes, and the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival. The Irish Times ranked him at number seven on their list of Ireland’s fifty greatest film actors in 2020. In her New Year’s 2000 Honours, Queen Elizabeth II named Neeson an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Also well-known is Neeson’s stage-acting career. In 1993, he made his Broadway debut in the role of Matt Burke for the revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. In 1998, he portrayed Oscar Wilde in David Hare’s The Judas Kiss. He was nominated for a second time for a Tony Award for his portrayal in the 2002 Broadway version of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
He has also been ranked as one of ‘The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time.
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Early Life
In Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on June 7, 1952, was born Liam John Neeson, better known as Liam Neeson. Both his mother Katherine and father Bernard worked at a primary school, where Bernard was the caretaker and Katherine was the chef. At the age of 9, Liam began boxing classes and grew up in a Roman Catholic household with his three sisters, Elizabeth, Bernadette, and Rosaleen. Until he was 17, he was a professional boxer and had already won several provincial championships.
When Neeson was 11 years old, he got his first taste of acting when the theatre instructor at his school cast him as the lead opposite the girl he had a crush on. Through high school, he kept up his acting career, and after a brief stint studying physics and computer science at Queen’s University Belfast, he returned to the stage. When he got a job offer from the Guinness Brewery, he dropped out of school.
Career Details
After dropping out of college, Neeson worked as a forklift operator and truck driver near his hometown of Ballymena. Neeson began his acting career at Belfast’s Lyric Players Theatre in 1976, where he remained for the duration of the company’s run.
Neeson was offered a small role as Sir Gawain in the 1980 film ‘Excalibur,’ which told the story of the legendary sword. He planned to leave Hollywood and pursue a career in theater in London following the completion of the film. He co-starred with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins in 1982’s The Bounty, and he co-starred with Robert De Niro in 1987’s The Mission.
Neeson’s filmography spans from 2005, when he debuted in “Batman Begins,” through 2011, when he starred in “Clash of the Titans,” “The Grey,” “Unknown,” and “Seraphim Falls.”
A few years later, he had a part in the third and final Batman film, ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ the sequel to ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight.
With “A Walk Among the Tombstones,” a film adaptation of the best-selling novel, starring Neeson has been in theaters since 2014. After that, he did voice work for a wide variety of films, including The Simpsons, The Chronicles of Narnia, Fallout 3, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Highlights
Here are some of the best highlights of Liam Neeson’s career:
- Shindler’s List (Movie, 1993)
- AARP Movies for Grownups Awards (Best Actor, 2005) – Won
- Taken (Movie, 2008)
- The Dark Night Rises (Movie, 2012)
What is Liam Neeson’s Net Worth?
Net Worth: | $145 Million |
Date of Birth: | Jun 7, 1952 (70 years old) |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.93 m) |
Profession: | Actor, Voice Actor |
Nationality: | United States of America |
In terms of wealth, Liam Neeson, an Irish actor, has $145 million. His most famous roles include Oskar Schindler in “Schindler’s List” (1993), Qui-Gon Jinn in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (1999), Henri Ducard/al Ra’s Ghul in “Batman Begins” (2005), and Bryan Mills in “Taken” (2008). (2008). Among Neeson’s many accolades is an Academy Award nomination for his performance in “Schindler’s List.”
Personal Life
The two met on the set of “Excalibur” in 1981, and Neeson dated Mirren for four years. On July 3, 1994, Liam wed Natasha Richardson, and the couple eventually had two sons: Micheál (born in 1995) and Daniel (born in 1996). (born in 1996). In 2009, following a skiing accident, Natasha tragically passed unexpectedly from an epidural hematoma; Liam donated her organs, and Micheál changed his surname to Richardson in her honor.
In addition to his Irish and American citizenship, Neeson also holds British citizenship. His alma university bestowed upon him an honorary doctorate in 2009, and since 2011 he has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. Actor Liam Neeson is an advocate for CineMagic, a Belfast-based nonprofit that uses media including movies, TV shows, and the internet to reach and influence young people.
Awards and Honors
Neeson has won more than 20 honors, including a Chicago Film Critics Association Award (1994) and an Evening Standard British Film Award (1997). (2016). “Schindler’s List” received him Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations, and the Irish Film and Television Awards handed him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Liam was nominated for a Golden Globe for “Michael Collins” and “Kinsey” and won for “The Grey.” Queen Elizabeth II made Neeson an OBE in 2000, and Irish President Michael D. Higgins presented him the Distinguished Service for the Irish Abroad Award in 2018. Liam has been named one of “Empire” magazine’s “100 Sexiest Stars in Film History”
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