- Wanted to be in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) so badly, he did not even bother reading the script.
- On March 16, 2009, his wife Natasha Richardson suffered a brain injury in a skiing accident. On March 18, 2009, she died in a hospital. Neeson interrupted filming of his movie Chloe (2009) to be by her side.
- Admitted in 2014 that he'd had to quit alcohol after having begun to quietly drink heavily following Natasha Richardson's death in 2009, eventually drinking up to two to three bottles of wine per night.
- Regarding some rumors saying that he "felt like a puppet while working on Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)," Neeson said, "That's simply not true," and that he had "absolutely no misgivings" about being in "Star Wars," adding that Lucas was "very good" to work with. "He was clear about what he wanted," said Neeson.
- It was his role in Shining Through (1992) as a high Nazi party official that got him noticed by Steven Spielberg, and that eventually led to him being cast as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List (1993).
- Was a boxer as a teenager in Northern Ireland, which resulted in getting his nose broken at age 15. Nevertheless, he went on to win the Irish Youth Championship. However, a brief blackout after one of his fights caused him to give up the ring for good.
- Was considered for the role of James Bond in GoldenEye (1995), which went to Pierce Brosnan.
- He recalled his most embarrassing moment in acting as when, relatively early in his career, he auditioned for the role of Fezzik, the giant in The Princess Bride (1987). Director Rob Reiner had a look of disgust on his face when he realized that Neeson was "only" six-feet-four. André René Roussimoff ended up getting the role.
- For a couple of years, he was the original choice to play the lead role in Lincoln (2012), which would have reunited his partnership with Steven Spielberg after their massive success with Schindler's List (1993). However, due to the many delays with the filming, Neeson felt he was too old for the role and he turned it down. It went to Daniel Day-Lewis, who won his third Oscar for the role.
- Attended Queen's University of Belfast for a short while to study physics and computer science, but flunked out.
- Won a libel case against newspapers that claimed that his marriage was in trouble. (October 1998)
- Originally planned to become a teacher before discovering acting.
- Is a huge fan of boxing and said that Muhammad Ali was the most famous boxer he ever met. Was an amateur boxer, a sport he started participating in at the age of 9. He had his last fight at age 17.
- He was considered for the role of Van Helsing in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) (and reportedly very much wanted the role). However, he was turned down after Anthony Hopkins showed an interest in the role and ultimately got it.
- First worked with his future wife, actress Natasha Richardson, on the miniseries Ellis Island (1984).
- Schindler's List (1993) is ranked #3 on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time.
- Neeson is a National Goodwill Ambassador to Ireland.
- Was an honorary board member of the CDS (Conference of Drama Schools) in England, which also included Sir Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, and Jeremy Irons, to name a few. The board oversaw all drama schools in England.
- He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of British Empire) in the 2000 Queen's Millennium Honours List for his services to drama.
- In an interview with the BBC, he said that Northern Irish Protestant minister Ian Paisley influenced his decision to become an actor. Neeson used to sneak into the church in his hometown, Ballymena, and watch Paisley preach. "He had a magnificent presence and it was incredible to watch this six-foot-plus man just Bible-thumping away. It was acting but it was also great acting and stirring too".
- Was chosen for the role of Gawain in Excalibur (1981) primarily because director John Boorman wanted a large man in the role for the duel between Gawain and Lancelot (Nicholas Clay). It was on this film where he met Helen Mirren, who was playing Morgana.
- Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#74) (1995).
- As of 2015, he has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Mission (1986), Schindler's List (1993), and Gangs of New York (2002). Of those, Schindler's List (1993) is the only one to have won the award.
- His character, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, was trained by Count Dooku, who was played by Christopher Lee. Lee ended up passing away on Neeson's birthday, June 7.
- Has worked repeatedly with Laura Linney, including in Kinsey (2004) and Love Actually (2003), and in a Broadway revival of "The Crucible," playing husband and wife in Kinsey (2004) and "The Crucible." The two have joked about feeling like "an old married couple".
- Was scheduled to produce a television miniseries based on the early years of the IRA based on the Leon Uris book Trinity.
- He and Catherine Zeta-Jones were so frightened by the set of the film The Haunting (1999) that neither of them wanted to film there after dark.
- Was Oliver Stone's first choice for the role of King Philip of Macedonia in Alexander (2004), which went to Val Kilmer.
- Received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Queen's University of Belfast, at the British consulate on May 6, 2009, in New York.
- Appeared with Daniel Day-Lewis in The Bounty (1984) and Gangs of New York (2002). Neeson later appeared on stage as John Proctor in a 2002 production of "The Crucible," a role played by Day-Lewis in the 1996 film version of the play. After dropping out of Steven Spielberg's biography of Abraham Lincoln, Neeson was replaced by Day-Lewis.
- Is a member of the Dublin Shakespeare Theatre Festival, where his past credits include "Hamlet", "King Richard II" and "All's Well That Ends Well".
- Ranked #69 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. (October 1997)
- After first meeting on the set of Excalibur (1981), Neeson and Helen Mirren lived together for four years, after which time Mirren met husband-to-be Taylor Hackford when he directed her in White Nights (1985).
- Auditioned for, and was accepted by, the Bristol Old Vic Drama School in England, but decided to attend the Gaiety School of acting instead so he could stay active with the Dublin Shakespeare Festival while in school.
- He started his acting career at the age of 33, when he saw an advertisement of the theatre in Belfast, which was looking for a tall man. As he was 6' 4" tall, he thought that he was right for the role. He applied and got the job, which saw him making his theatre debut playing Irish trade unionist Big Jim Larkin.
- Was considered for the role of Count Dracula in the cult classic The Monster Squad (1987), which went to Duncan Regehr.
- Was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Play): in 1993 for a revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie," and in 2002 for a revival of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible".
- Started acting in his early twenties, upon joining the Belfast Lyric Players' theater.
- Was connected to David Lean's production of "Nostromo," but withdrew before preproduction began and Lean's subsequent death.
- One of his oldest and dearest friends is Irish actor Ciarán Hinds, the two having met as struggling actors on the set of Excalibur (1981).
- Attended and graduated from the Gaiety School of Drama in Dublin, Ireland.
- He has two roles in common with his The Bounty (1984) co-star Laurence Olivier: (1) Olivier played Zeus in Clash of the Titans (1981) while Neeson played him in the remake Clash of the Titans (2010) and its sequel Wrath of the Titans (2012) and (2) Olivier played General Douglas MacArthur in Inchon (1981) while Neeson played him in Battle for Incheon: Operation Chromite (2016).
- Dated Barbra Streisand from 1991 to 1992.
- He has appeared in one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Schindler's List (1993).
- During the 1990s, he was very active with the Royal National Theatre in London, where he performed a wide range of Shakespeare's works.
- Phil Coulter composed a song for his wedding. Liam Neeson voiced several tracks on Coulter's CDs.
- Is a longtime supporter of the legalization of abortion in Ireland.
- Turned down playing James Bond in Golden Eye because he didn't want to be in an action film.
- He was scheduled to make a film of A Tale of Two Cities to be directed by Terry Gilliam but it was shelved due to budget problems,.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content