Born:
June 07, 1952
in
Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Best Known For:
Schindler's List and Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace
Early-life:
William John Neeson was born on June 7, 1952, in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. He made his acting debut at 11 in a school play. He was a good teenage amateur boxer, winning the Irish Youth Championship, but quit after blacking out following a fight. Neeson later enrolled at St Mary's Teaching College in Belfast, but became interested in acting on joining the Belfast Lyric Players' Theatre. He made ends meet with various odd jobs, including forklift operator, truck driver and assistant architect, before stardom beckoned.
Career:
Neeson's professional debut was on stage in The Risen People. He was spotted in a play at Dublin's Abbey Theatre by director John Boorman, who cast him in movie Excalibur in 1981. He made a name for himself in Krull, A Woman of Substance, Ellis Island and The Mission. Other leading roles came in Suspect, The Dead Pool and The Big Man. However, he didn't become a major star until Schindler's List in 1993. Since then he's featured in Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace, Gangs of New York, Love Actually, Kinsey and the brilliant action film Taken. He was also seen in the big-screen version of The A Team and has several blockbusters in the pipeline.
Quote:
"I never did think of myself as handsome - terribly attractive, yes - but not handsome."
Trivia:
Dated a string of famous women, including Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, Barbra Streisand, Sinead O'Connor and Helen Mirren. Married actress Natasha Richardson, mother of his sons Micheal and Daniel. She died in a skiing accident in 2009.