He is one of the most loved action heroes in Hollywood. But life has not been easy for him; he lost his wife of 16 years to a tragic accident and had to raise his teenage boys alone. At 70 years he fell in love with a woman he could not have.
This Irish actor has been a part of several blockbuster movies. Some of his iconic appearances can be seen in the films, “Taken,” “Star Wars,” “Batman Begins,” “Schindler’s List” and “Love Actually.”
His role in “Schindler’s List” earned him an Oscar nomination, but the 71-year-old is still unstoppable; in 2022, he released two action movies, “Memory” and “Blacklight.”
His Dark Childhood
Before becoming a Hollywood star, Liam Neeson survived a pretty violent upbringing. The actor grew up in a small Irish town during a war, and despite being in his 70s, memories from those dark days are still vivid.
Although he described his upbringing as normal, he lived through some heavy historical moments. During one of his interviews, the Irish actor spoke about the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” when 13 of his people were killed during the war. He recalled how bleak things were:
“I remember the next day when everything was incredibly quiet and very, very sinister.”
Neeson started boxing from the age of nine till he was 17. Although he has witnessed different forms of violence and has even been asked if his love for boxing was attached to the trauma, the actor said the sport came with a lot of respect.
There was a deep appreciation for the craft. Even though opponents would punch each other, he believed there was love there. But outside of boxing, he also loved acting and went to extreme lengths for a chance to be on stage.
Growing up, he worked as a forklift truck driver, and after a long day of hard work, he would hitchhike just to rehearse for a play. He grew up witnessing hard work, especially from his mother, who died at 94 but worked for 34 years as a “dinner lady” at a girl’s school.
Now the actor has done many films and Broadway plays, and though it seems like he’s always working, some of these movie sets brought him his greatest love.
The Love Story
Neeson and Natasha Richardson shared a love that would only feel real in movies. The couple enjoyed 16 beautiful years together before a tragic accident tore them apart. The connection between the actors sparked when they performed opposite one another in the Broadway play “Anna Christie” in 1993
The “Taken” star said he had never experienced that kind of chemistry with a cast mate before. Each day they performed, there was an unspoken harmony that the audience also felt and noticed.
Critics and attendees loved the magic they created on stage, which earned the actors Tony nominations. At the time of this whirlwind of romance, Richardson was still married to Robert Fox.
Fortunately for Neeson, their marriage was close to an end. While Richardson was not proud of how everything panned out, she could not lie about how deeply she had fallen for Neeson. It was another situation of bad timing, said the actress.
At the time, Neeson was 40 and had a reputation for being a lady’s man, but 29-year-old Richardson did not have a problem; in fact, she was glad many women liked him because she understood why.
The actors also worked on “Schindler’s List” together, and for Richardson’s 30th birthday, Neeson sent her a card and wrote, “You are catching up on me. Lots of love, Oskar” which was the name of his character in the film.
he actress was not impressed with his gesture and even felt confused about what it meant for them as a couple. So Richardson responded, “This is like a letter from a buddy. What is our relationship?”
Neeson did not have to ask himself twice; it became instantly clear that he loved and cared for Richardson. He realized what they shared was special and needed to be protected, so later that summer, in 1994, the couple got married.
Unfortunately, the star had to endure the tragedy of unexpectedly losing his wife to a skiing accident in 2009. The actress suffered a fatal head injury that left her brain dead.
The actor remembered arriving at the hospital in Canada, and the doctor told him the swelling in Richardson’s brain was too severe for her to survive.
His wife was on life support, but he still told her that she had hit her head and would not be coming back, then kissed her and said he loved her.
Neeson also revealed that he and Richardson had agreed that if one of them had to live on machines, they should pull the plug. However, the actor waited a bit before pulling the plug to give his wife’s family a chance to say their last goodbyes.
Three of her organs were also donated, revealed Neeson. Her heart, liver, and kidney were able to save three other lives, which the then 70-year-old believed would be something Richardson would have appreciated.
Five years after the incident, Neeson had an interview with Anderson Cooper and admitted that it still did not feel real that his wife was gone. However, he had to stay strong for his two sons, who were in their teens when their mother died.
Dealing with Loss
After Richardson died, Neeson confessed that he developed a drinking problem but decided to stop. He revealed that going through three bottles of alcohol was nothing. But for many years now, he has not been drinking hard liquor and beer. His preferred drink is a light Pinot, which is consumed in controlled doses.
