Liam Neeson Remembers Late Wife Natasha Richardson in Interview · Guardian Liberty Voice Share on Facebook Follow on Facebook Add to Google+ Connect on Linked in Subscribe by Email Print This Post Actor Liam Neeson remembered late wife, actress Natasha Richardson, in a revealing interview with Anderson Cooper on CBS’ 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday. This is the first in-depth interview the actor has given about his beloved wife’s tragic passing in March 2009. The two thespians first met on the set of Excalibur in 1981. However, they did not become romantically involved until their co-starring roles in the 1994 film Nell starring Jodie Foster. Neeson and Richardson married soon after completion of the film and shared an enduring love and “explosive chemistry” together throughout their 15-year marriage, which was cut short by Natasha Richardson’s untimely death in 2009 following a skiing accident in Quebec, Canada. In the poignant interview, the film star reveals intimate details of their life together and Richardson’s final hours, including the last phone conversation he had with his late wife just hours before her death.

He compared their chemistry to that of iconic dance team Astaire and Rogers. “She and I were like Astaire and Roger,” Neeson gushed. “We had just this wonderful kind of dance, free dance on stage every night.” Additionally, the actor praised Richardson’s beauty and “motherly” nature towards not only her own family but with people in general. In describing the grief he has encountered following Richardson’s death, the anguish and disbelief in the actor’s features were palatable. The actor recounted to Anderson the final phone call they shared and how Richardson described her accident as “a tumble in the snow.” Within in a few short hours following this call, Richardson was rushed to the hospital complaining of a headache. Her loving husband would rush to her side only to learn that his wife was comatose and brain-dead. Liam Neeson’s heart-wrenching remembrance of late wife Richardson in the recently aired interview also included a revelation about their “mutual pact” that if either of them were to be rendered incapacitated and reduced to a vegetative state they agreed to end life support measures. However, the actor remarked to Anderson how part of Richardson continues to live on, not only in mind but also in body.

Turns out, Richardson was an organ donor and her death provided new life for three recipients who received her heart, liver, and kidneys. Neeson and Richardson produced two sons over the course of their 15-year marriage, Michael and Daniel, age 19 and 18 respectively. He refrained from mentioning details regarding his sons’ grief over losing their mother. In describing his own profound grief since Richardson’s passing, the actor commented on how it comes in waves. There are periods when it will lull and become more infrequent, but her loss is always with him. Additionally, the film star continues to visit her grave frequently. When Liam Neeson reminisced about his late wife Natasha Richardson during Sunday’s 60 Minutes interview, it was in glowing and philosophical terms. He recalled Richardson as an active, vibrant, and full-of-life wife and mother, who was a tremendous spirit and whose talents are greatly missed. In retrospect, the film star wonders if Richardson knew her time on earth would be short and that is why she always made the most out of life. As for how he is coping today, Neeson commented on how “unreal” it continues to feel–at the time of her death and now.

He still expects her to walk through the door and call out “Hello” five years after her death. Neeson: Wife's Death Still Doesn't Feel Real Neeson: Wife's Death Still Doesn't Feel Real Neeson: Wife's Death Still Doesn't Feel Real More Liam Neeson has spoken about the moment his wife Natasha Richardson died and how it still doesn't feel real. The Taken and Schindler's List star has described having to switch off the actress' life support machine after she was involved in a skiing accident in Canada five years ago. In an interview with Loaded magazine, Neeson said: "Her death was never real. It still kind of isn't." The Irish actor said he still expects to hear her when the door opens in his house. Neeson revealed that he and his wife had made a pact that if they ended up in a vegetative state then they would turn off the machines. It was thought at first that Richardson, 45, had just suffered a minor head injury when she fell in 2009. But her condition soon deteriorated. "When I saw her and saw all these tubes and stuff that was my immediate thought, 'OK, these tubes have to go. She's gone'," he said.

The 62-year-old said sometimes his late wife's death hits him like a "wave" when he is working. "You just get this profound feeling of instability," he said. Neeson now lives in New York with the couple's two sons Micheal and Daniel. Part of one of Britain's great theatrical dynasties, Richardson was the daughter of Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson. She was also the granddaughter of Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, the sister of actress Joely Richardson, and the niece of Lynn Redgrave. Richardson married Neeson in 1994 after the pair met on the set of the film Nell. Reblog Neeson: Wife's Death Still Doesn't Feel Real Weather Neeson: Wife's Death Still Doesn't Feel Real The actor talks about turning off Natasha Richardson's life support and how his loss still hits him like a "wave" sometimes. 10:56, UK, Wednesday 30 July 2014 Image Caption: The couple were married for 15 years Mail Liam Neeson has spoken about the moment his wife Natasha Richardson died and how it still doesn't feel real.

The Taken and Schindler's List star has described having to switch off the actress' life support machine after she was involved in a skiing accident in Canada five years ago. In an interview with Loaded magazine, Neeson said: "Her death was never real. It still kind of isn't." The Irish actor said he still expects to hear her when the door opens in his house. Image Caption: Neeson has a very successful Hollywood career Neeson revealed that he and his wife had made a pact that if they ended up in a vegetative state then they would turn off the machines. It was thought at first that Richardson, 45, had just suffered a minor head injury when she fell in 2009. But her condition soon deteriorated. "When I saw her and saw all these tubes and stuff that was my immediate thought, 'OK, these tubes have to go. She's gone'," he said. The 62-year-old said sometimes his late wife's death hits him like a "wave" when he is working. "You just get this profound feeling of instability," he said. Neeson now lives in New York with the couple's two sons Micheal and Daniel.

Part of one of Britain's great theatrical dynasties, Richardson was the daughter of Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson. She was also the granddaughter of Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, the sister of actress Joely Richardson, and the niece of Lynn Redgrave. Richardson married Neeson in 1994 after the pair met on the set of the film Nell. Top Stories Liam Neeson | Biography, News, Photos and Videos | Contactmusic.com News Pictures Video Film Footage Press Comments Quotes RSS Biography Liam Neeson OBE (born William John Neeson, 7.6.1952) is an Irish actor, perhaps best known for his roles in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Schindler's List. Childhood: Liam Neeson was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland. His mother, Kitty, was a cook and his father, Bernard, was a caretaker at the local boy's primary school. He was one of four children and has three sisters, Elizabeth, Bernadette and Rosaline.

Liam Neeson first acted onstage when he was 11, when his teacher gave him the lead role in a school play. As a child, Neeson used to sneak into Ian Paisley's church. Paisley has commented on Neeson's "presence" whilst reading Bible passages in church. Acting Career: After graduating from university, Liam Neeson's first film appearance came in 1973, when he played Jesus Christ in Ken Anderson's Pilgrim's Progress. He later applied for an audition at the Lyric Players' Theatre in Belfast. After two years there, he moved to Dublin and joined Dublin's Abbey Theatre. John Boorman watched Neeson in a stage production of Of Mice and Men and offered him a role in Excalibur. He met the actress Helen Mirren on the set of the film and lived with her around this time. The highest profile film that Liam Neeson appeared in, in this era, was The Bounty, which also starred Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins. Neeson moved to Hollywood in 1987 in order to raise his profile as an actor. The move seemed to work and he landed a role in Suspect, along with Dennis Quaid and Cher.

He was praised for his role in the film and in 1990, his appearance in Sam Raimi's Darkman brought his name to public attention. Steven Spielberg saw Liam Neeson performing onstage in a production of Anna Christie and offered him a lead role in Schindler's List, the award winning film, which also starred Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes. Neeson himself was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar but lost out to Tom Hanks' performance in Philadelphia. In 1995, Neeson starred in Rob Roy and another period piece, Michael Collins the year after. His performance in Michael Collins earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Two years later, Liam Neeson was cast as Jean Valjean in an adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. In 1999, he played Dr. David Marrow in The Haunting. In 1999, Liam Neeson was cast as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn for the first film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor were also cast in the film as Obi Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala, respectively.

Returning to the stage, Liam Neeson earned himself a Tony Award for his role in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, which also starred Laura Linney. In 2002, Liam Neeson joined Harrison Ford in the submarine-based thriller K19: The Widowmaker, followed by an appearance in Martin Scorsese's lauded Gangs of New York, which starred Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. The following year, Neeson took a role in Richard Curtis' romantic comedy, Love Actually. The film, which was a huge financial success, had a strong cast, including Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson, Emma Thompson and Keira Knightley. Liam Neeson was awarded with yet more awards nominations for his role in Kinsey, in which he plays the lead role, Alfred Kinsey. He lost out on the award to Leonardo DiCaprio, for his role in The Aviator. The renowned director Ridley Scott cast Neeson in Kingdom of Heaven, opposite Edward Norton, Orlando Bloom and Jeremy Irons. Neeson then went on to work with Cillian Murphy in the film adaptation of Patrick McCabe's novel Breakfast on Pluto.

He also voiced the lion, Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as well as its sequel, Prince Caspian. Personal Life: Liam Neeson married Natasha Richardson in 1994. The couple had previously worked together on the film Nell. Natasha is the daughter of Tony Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave and her sister is the actress Joely Richardson. Biography by Contactmusic.com Liam Neeson Dating History - FamousFix Liam Neeson Dating History Relationship info powered by: WhosDatedWho.com Married Freya St. Johnston August 2010 - October 2012 A year and a half after the death of wife Natasha Richardson, Liam Neeson began dating a 30-something English blonde named Freya St. Johnston. That was circa September 2010. Freya St. Johnston is a U.K.-based public relations executive who, like the actor, is the parent of two children. "She's ...

[more] 6 Taurus January 1993 - March 2009 (3 July 1994 - 18 March 2009) (her death) (2 children) Children, with Natasha Richardson: Michael Richard Antonio Neeson(born on June 22, 1995) and Daniel Jack Neeson (born on August 27, 1996). He married actress Natasha Richardson on 3 July 1994. In August 2004, Neeson and his wife purchased an ad ... [more] 5 Liam and Brooke briefly dated for a couple of months. [more] 4 Taurus September 1991 Barbara Joan Streisand (born April 24, 1942), known professionally as Barbra Streisand, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and filmmaker. During a career spanning six decades, she has become an icon in multiple fields of entertainment, winning numerous awards, and has earned her recognition as Mother of All Contemporary Pop Divas or Queen of The Divas. She has been recognized with two Academy Awards, ten Grammy Awards including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Grammy Legend ...

[more] 3 Scorpio March 1988 - 1990 Liam Neeson and Julia Roberts dated from 1988 – 1990. Liam Neeson was in the movie Satisfaction with Julia Roberts. ----- When Julia Roberts was just 19, she was in a romantic relationship with Liam Neeson (who was 16 years her senior) and living with him at his Venice, California, home -- until ... [more] 2 Leo 1980 - 1985 In 1980, filmmaker John Boorman saw him on stage, acting as Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men, and offered him the part of Sir Gawain in the upcoming Arthurian film, Excalibur. After Excalibur, Neeson moved to London, where he continued working on stage, small budget films and television series. He lived ... [more] 1 Aquarius unknown date Janice Doreen Dickinson (born February 15, 1955) is an American model, photographer, author and talent agent. Initially notable as a model, she has been described by herself and others as the first supermodel.

One of the most successful models throughout the 1970s and 1980s, she expanded her profession to reality television in 2003 by judging for four cycles on America's Next Top Model. She subsequently opened her own modeling agency in 2005, which was documented in the reality-television series ... [more] FamousFix content is contributed and edited by our readers. You are most welcome to update, correct or add information to this page. Update Information Top Contributors Today Liam Neeson - Biography - IMDb Liam Neeson Biography Showing all 92 items Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (6) | Trivia (44) | Personal Quotes (24) | Salary (13) Overview (3) 6' 4" (1.93 m) Mini Bio (1) Liam Neeson was born on June 7, 1952 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, UK, to Katherine (Brown), a cook, and Bernard Neeson, a school caretaker. Liam worked as a forklift operator for Guinness, truck driver, assistant architect and an amateur boxer.

He had originally sought a career as a teacher by attending St. Mary's Teaching College, Newcastle. However, in 1976, Neeson joined the Belfast Lyric Players' Theater and made his professional acting debut in the play "The Risen People". After two years, Neeson moved to Dublin's Abbey Theater where he performed the classics. It was here that he was spotted by director John Boorman and was cast in the film Excalibur (1981) as Sir Gawain, his first high-profile film role. Through the 1980s Neeson appeared in a handful of films and British TV series - including The Bounty (1984), A Woman of Substance (1984), The Mission (1986), and Duet for One (1986) - but it was not until he moved to Hollywood to pursue larger roles that he began to get noticed.

His turn as a mute homeless man in Suspect (1987) garnered good reviews, as did supporting roles in The Good Mother (1988) and High Spirits (1988) - though he also starred in the best-to-be-forgotten Satisfaction (1988), which also featured a then-unknown Julia Roberts - but leading man status eluded him until the cult favorite Darkman (1990), directed by Sam Raimi . From there, Neeson starred in Under Suspicion (1991) and Ethan Frome (1993), was hailed for his performance in Woody Allen 's Husbands and Wives (1992), and ultimately was picked by Steven Spielberg to play Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List (1993). The starring role in the Oscar-winning Holocaust film brought Neeson Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor. Also in 1993, he made his Broadway debut with a Tony-nominated performance in "Anna Christie", in which he co-starred with his future wife Natasha Richardson .

The next year, the two also starred opposite Jodie Foster in the movie Nell (1994), and were married in July of that year. Leading roles as the 18th century Scottish Highlander Rob Roy (1995) and the Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins (1996) followed, and soon Neeson was solidified as one of Hollywood's top leading men. He starred in the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) as Qui-Gon Jinn, received a Golden Globe nomination for Kinsey (2004), played the mysterious Ducard in Christopher Nolan 's Batman Begins (2005), and provided the voice for Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). Neeson found a second surprise career as an action leading man with the release of Taken (2008) in early 2009, an unexpected box office hit about a retired CIA agent attempting to rescue his daughter from being sold into prostitution.

However, less than two months after the release of the film, tragedy struck when Richardson suffered a fatal head injury while skiing and passed away days afterward. Neeson returned to high-profile roles in 2010 with two back-to-back big-budget films, Clash of the Titans (2010) and The A-Team (2010), and returned to the action genre with Unknown (2011), The Grey (2011), Battleship (2012) and Taken 2 (2012), as well as the sequel Wrath of the Titans (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. He has two sons from his marriage to Richardson: Micheal Richard Antonio Neeson (born June 22, 1995) and Daniel Jack Neeson (born August 27, 1996).

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com> Spouse (1) ( 3 July 1994 - 18 March 2009) (her death) (2 children) Trade Mark (6) In his career's recent years, Neeson has very often taken roles in which he is a mentor/trainer/father figure to a younger man, as in, for example: Batman Begins (2005), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Gangs of New York (2002) and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). His character often must die early in the movie and/or the student's life so that the young man can apply the Neeson character's lessons to his own ongoing struggle. Frequently portrays characters based on real people. (e.g. Rob Roy, Oskar Schindler, Michael Collins, Alfred Kinsey) Towering height Often plays agents or ex-agents in an unusual situation Trivia (44) Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#74) (1995).

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. Has two sons with Natasha Richardson : Micheál Richard Antonio Neeson (born June 22, 1995) and Daniel Jack Neeson (born August 27, 1996). Loves fly-fishing. 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. Won a libel case against newspapers that claimed that his marriage was in trouble. [October 1998] Ranked #69 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] First worked with his future wife, actress Natasha Richardson , on the miniseries Ellis Island (1984). Son-in-law of actress Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson .

Was considered for the role of James Bond in GoldenEye (1995), which went to Pierce Brosnan . Attended Queen's University of Belfast for a short while to study physics and computer science, but flunked out. Brother-in-law of Joely Richardson . Was connected to David Lean 's production of "Nostromo," but withdrew before preproduction began and Lean's subsequent death. 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 the role. Has worked repeatedly with Laura Linney , including in Kinsey (2004), 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". Wanted to be in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) so badly, he did not even bother reading the script. Attended and graduated from the Gaiety School of Drama in Dublin, Ireland.

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". 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 the Giant ended up getting the role. 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. 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.

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. During the 1990s, he was very active with the Royal National Theatre in London, where he performed a wide range of Shakespeare's works. 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". 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). Schindler's List (1993) is ranked #3 on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time.

Was Oliver Stone 's first choice for the role of King Philip of Macedonia in Alexander (2004), which went to Val Kilmer . Was considered for the role of Count Dracula in the cult classic The Monster Squad (1987), which went to Duncan Regehr . 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". 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. Liam interrupted filming of his movie Chloe (2009) to be by her side. Received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Queen's University of Belfast, at the British consulate on May 6, 2009, in New York.

Friends with Ralph Fiennes , Henry Herman and Ciarán Hinds . 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. 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. Suffers from acrophobia ("I get dizzy on a thick carpet," he once quipped to Jay Leno ). Neeson is a National Goodwill Ambassador to Ireland. 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. Originally planned to become a teacher before discovering acting. Started acting in his early twenties, upon joining the Belfast Lyrics Players' theater. Admitted in 2014 that he had to quit alcohol, after having began to quietly drink heavily following Natasha Richardson 's death in 2009, and eventually drinking up to two to three bottles of wine per night. 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. For a couple of years, he was the original choice to play the lead role in Lincoln (2012), which would reunite 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 down, which went to Daniel Day-Lewis , who won his third Oscar for the role. 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 Operation Chromite (2016). 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. Personal Quotes (24) I never did think of myself as handsome--terribly attractive, yes, but not handsome.

I think I realized there were two communities in Northern Ireland when I was about nine or 10, not because there was any trouble but because in certain years my parents would keep us indoors on the 12th of July. I couldn't figure that out, because all my mates were out dancing in the streets and I wanted to go out and join them. So it was then that I sensed a "them and us" attitude. No, I don't get obsessed with acting. Because in the past when I have got obsessed about it, it really got in the way of the creative process. I've learned to hang the character on the coat-peg at the end of the day, and when I leave in the morning I pick it up again. And I had to work at that because the other way lies a strange sort of madness. Laid-back? My wife said that? Well, I guess I am. It takes a lot to get me riled. [on the widespread unemployment of actors and their fear of it] The truth is I love the insecurity part of it, it keeps me on my toes. I think you become bland and predictable without the stress and angst. There's a certain lethargy that sets in.

Before Schindler's List (1993), I wouldn't have believed movies had a lot of power for social change. But having seen what happened with "Schindler's List", and touring the world with it, it really made me realize the power of images. Some mornings you wake up and think, "Gee, I look handsome today." Other days I think, "What am I doing in the movies? I wanna go back to Ireland and drive a forklift". Acting is invigorating. But I don't analyze it too much. It's like a dog smelling where it's going to do its toilet in the morning. In Los Angeles, it's like they jog for two hours a day and then they think they're morally right. That's when you want to choke people, you know? I grew up in Northern Ireland, of course. Lived all through the Troubles; saw violence, the results of violence, at first hand. It's always terrified me and fascinated me. So it was a gut reaction, something about how that rage can eat you alive. I can understand that. I haven't known it myself, but I knew guys who did.

Some of them aren't on this planet any more because of it. (on the state of his family after the death of Natasha Richardson ) We're doing good. To be honest, we're taking each day as it comes. [on performing with Ralph Fiennes ] On Clash of the Titans (2010) we found it hard to act with each other. So I would look at his forehead and he would look at my forehead, because sometimes, if we made eye contact, it got quite silly. We were more restrained on Wrath of the Titans (2012) because we had deeper, darker issues to act. Even with action films, the fundamental for me is the writing. I adore writers, no matter what the genre is, and if it is a well-written piece of material then I am always very interested. Just look at the success of Taken (2008), for example. I thought it was going to be a straight-to-video release. That is actually one of the reasons I did it, to be honest. I felt like spending three months in Paris, I'd get to do all this physical stuff that no one would think of me for, and that the film would go straight to video.

Then it became this big success. I was a tiny bit embarrassed by it, a tiny bit, but then people started sending me action scripts. Schindler's List (1993) is a very special movie on lots of fronts. It was a brilliant script and it was great to work with Steven Spielberg : I formed a close relationship with him. [on Darkman (1990)] [The film] has rabid fans, especially in the black community, I've found. It's always the black dudes who are stopping me and giving me a high five. I saw Spider-Man (2002), and a lot of it was shot-for-shot Darkman. [on Schindler's List (1993)] I did a lot of research, but I found it was best not to do too much because I was playing a guy who lived in 1942, '43. If I'd read all the Holocaust literature, it would have played into my performance. Ignorance was bliss, certainly for Schindler. [on Nell (1994)] I was a bit disappointed in the film. I felt it should have been rougher and cruder and darker and colder.

There was too much of a glow surrounding the movie. I thought Jodie [Foster] was very good, but, I mean, that house she lived in, that was, like, something out of Swiss Family Robinson! There should have been plastic chairs and windows with bits of newspaper stuck in them to stop the draft. [on working with Julia Roberts in Michael Collins (1996)] I was surprised at first [when she was cast]. I thought, surely there's an actress in Ireland who can [play the role]; Neil [Jordan] doesn't need this star power. I thought maybe he was going to shoot himself in the foot. But she was very committed to doing it. I thought she was terribly good and I was very proud of her. [on Gangs of New York (2002)] Martin [Scorsese] was interested in me for the part of Monk, that Brendan Gleeson played. But when I read it, I said, "No, I want to play this Priest Vallon character. It's a showier part." It was the perfect cameo, I think. You come in, do a bit of physical stuff, and then they talk about you for the rest of the movie.

Meanwhile, I'm back home with my wife and kids, and they're still talking about me. It's great! [on losing the role of Lincoln (2012)] I don't feel sad about it, and I have no regrets whatsoever. There comes a point where you think "I'm past my sell-by date" and I passed that about three years ago. It's just like a light switch went off in my head: it just wasn't for me anymore. I'd lived with it too long and there was a process happening: Steven [ Steven Spielberg ] would do something else or I would do something else and it was like "Okay, let's cut this loose." They got one of the best actors to do it, you know, in Daniel Day-Lewis . [on The A-Team (2010)] I watched it about two months ago and I found it a little confusing and I was in the thing. I just couldn't figure out who was who and what's been done to him and why, a little bit. I mean, my kids totally understood it and got it. I don't know. It's a toss of the coin, sometimes, with these things.

I thought it was a great ride and Joe [ Joe Carnahan ] had done a great job. I thought it was cast well. But there you go - you never know. I am attracted to characters who are loners, who operate by themselves. There's something mysterious, manly and stoic about them. [on director Martin Scorsese ] He's intimidating. He requires absolute silence on the set - if he hears one tiny sound, it shatters it for him. Salary (13) IT'S . . . ! - LIAM NEESON - NYTimes.com IT'S . . . ! By Dinitia Smith; Published: December 4, 1994 THE INDEPENDENT!" Liam Neeson cries, referring to the English newspaper. "They did an editorial comment on me lovemaking abilities. My mother is reading this! I will not discuss my love life," he says. Neeson is outraged. He wants to be known for his mind. Please. I had just walked into Neeson's trailer on the set of his latest movie, "Nell," in North Carolina. I hadn't even thought to ask him about his sexual prowess. Now this sudden explosion.

Could this be a bit of manful boasting, hiding behind a scrim of outrage? Well, now we'd never get to talk about Julia Roberts, Sinead O'Connor, Barbra Streisand and Brooke Shields. We'd never discuss Jennifer Grey, Helen Mirren and his wife, Natasha Richardson, whom he married on July 3 at their country house in Millbrook, N.Y. They are expecting their first child in early summer. Neeson's publicist had warned me that he would be touchy about private things. "It has been an extremely overwhelming past year for him," she had written me. Neeson apparently had a hard year handling the negatives and the invasions of privacy. Hard? Neeson had won an Oscar nomination for "Schindler's List." The beautiful Natasha Richardson had left her husband for him. Still, Neeson, a Catholic, is from Ballymena, a puritanical, Scots-influenced region of Northern Ireland, and this talk in newspapers is embarrassing. There is so much about fame to mistrust.

For years audiences have seen Neeson's unusual face on the screen, mostly in secondary roles: "Husbands and Wives," "Suspect," "The Good Mother." It is a face at once innocent and powerful, saved from prettiness by a broken nose. The eyes move, but the mouth rarely smiles. There is a hint of something eruptive in it. "Liam seems like a very gentle man," says Jodie Foster, who plays opposite Neeson in "Nell," which opens next week. "But there are little flashes of danger. He could put his fist in the world." Before "Schindler's List," audiences hadn't always been able to put a name to Neeson's face. But with the success of the movie -- in which Neeson plays the German industrialist Oskar Schindler, who saved 1,300 Jewish factory workers from Nazi concentration camps -- all that changed. The role transformed Neeson's career and his daily life. He can't go out without women accosting him. As he walks thorough Central Park on the way to the dentist, teen-agers cry out: "Hey! Yo! Schindler! Hey! Yo!

Darkman." In "Darkman," Neeson plays a scientist whose face is destroyed by acid. Bizarrely, people sometimes get the two movies mixed up. "After 'Schindler,"' says Neeson, "I really started to believe the American Indians who say that when your photograph is taken, you lose part of your soul too." At 42, Neeson is one of the few actors in the 35-to-50-year-old range who can carry a movie by himself. He is a leading man in the tradition of Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, Henry Fonda -- an actor who seems not to act. Unlike Al Pacino or Jack Nicholson, Neeson doesn't chew up the scenery when he works. Watching him does not create stress in the audience. All Neeson has to do is stand there, frown a little, look slightly troubled -- vulnerable, but also strong -- and women love it. Neil Jordan, director of "Interview with the Vampire," who has been a friend for years, says "there is a certain unknowability of character" about Neeson. "Women just go crazy over him.

He doesn't do anything to warrant it -- or deserve it." Neeson occasionally wears wire-rim glasses, which give him an intellectual aura that appeals to many women. Some in this age of testosterone-soaked Arnold Schwarzeneggers seek a haven of trustworthiness. Or substance. Or sincerity. And they find it in Neeson. When Steven Spielberg took his wife, Kate Capshaw, and her mother to see Neeson on Broadway in O'Neill's "Anna Christie" two years ago, his mother-in-law began to cry. Backstage Neeson took the weeping woman in his arms. "My mother-in-law and wife were gaga," Spielberg says. A week later, Spielberg offered Neeson the role of Schindler, a part coveted by Kevin Costner and Harrison Ford. Many scripts have been sent to Neeson since "Schindler," some good, some truly awful. He has chosen an odd variety of roles. In the fall he shot a film in Scotland about the outlaw Rob Roy. He is to begin production in February on "Before and After," with Meryl Streep, based on Rosellen Brown's best-selling novel about a New Hampshire couple whose son murders his girlfriend.

In "Nell," Neeson plays a doctor and Foster is a mountain woman kept hidden in a cabin for her entire life. Neeson introduces her to civilization -- and falls in love with her psychologist, Richardson. The movie was shot during the summer in North Carolina, on a set constructed to look like a cabin untouched by civilization. (Actually, it looked more like a fantasy from Architectural Digest, with great pine antiques.) On the set Jodie Foster talked mostly in "Nellish," the language of her character, but sounded a lot like Linda Blair in "The Exorcist." As shooting progressed, the actors' voices sank lower and lower, as though the movie might soon turn into high camp. ("May walk with the Lord," says Jodie Foster, as Nell. "May don' go 'way for all time now," Neeson responds.) After repeating the lines for hours, Neeson finally flubbed one of them. "Waaaaacka waaaaacka waaaaacka!" he cried, grabbing his head, doing a little dance.

1 Natasha Richardson part of legendary acting family - CNN.com Natasha Richardson part of legendary acting family Story Highlights Actress Natasha Richardson granddaughter, daughter of Britain's famed Redgraves Richardson is married to actor Liam Neeson; they have two children Richardson has worked hard to establish her own name, is renowned for stage work Actress injured in ski accident in Quebec, Canada (CNN) -- Natasha Richardson, who died Wednesday following a ski accident Monday, comes from an illustrious British acting family -- one whose name she's often found a challenge. Natasha Richardson comes from a family of well-known British actors, including mother Vanessa Redgrave. more photos » Richardson, the daughter of Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson ("Look Back in Anger," "Tom Jones"), has said, more than once, that she found it difficult to live up to the family reputation. "The names Richardson or Redgrave didn't help," she told About.com's Rebecca Murray in 2007. "But the last thing you want is to ride any coattails, because you don't want people to be accusing you of nepotism.

You want to be able to learn and practice, and not to be thrown into a spotlight before you're ready for it." But Richardson, 45, was practically born to the stage. Besides her mother and father, several members of her family are performers: Her grandparents were Sir Michael Redgrave, a famed British actor, and actress Rachel Kempson; uncle Corin Redgrave, aunt Lynn Redgrave and sister Joely Richardson also are noted actors. She's even married to an actor, having been wed to Liam Neeson ("Schindler's List") since 1994. She first appeared in a movie when she was 4, earning a bit part in her father's "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1968). By that point, her parents had divorced, and she was living with her mother, who already had dazzled movie audiences with her work in "Morgan!" (1966), "Blowup" (1966) and "Camelot" (1967). Despite her mother's success, Richardson said that the family was sometimes in financial straits because the politically controversial Redgrave gave away money to various causes, according to the BBC.

Family visits Richardson after ski fall Though Richardson appeared in regional theater and a CBS television miniseries by the time she was 22, she first gained renown for her performance in Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull" in a 1985 production that featured her mother and Jonathan Pryce. The performance earned her the London Drama Critics' most promising newcomer award. She's earned her strongest notices for her stage work. She won a Tony for her performance as Sally Bowles in the 1998 revival of "Cabaret" and earned raves for her Blanche DuBois in a 2005 production of "A Streetcar Named Desire." Other productions include a 1993 production of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie" and the original 1999 production of Patrick Marber's "Closer," later made into a film with Julia Roberts. Critics have turned into fans.

"Her Sally Bowles is a dazzling example of how star power can be harnessed to create a devastating portrait of someone who is definitely not a star," wrote The New York Times' Ben Brantley on "Cabaret." "Born-to-lose characters can be tedious, but Richardson turns this one into an electrifying triumph." On screen, Richardson deliberately has picked a wide range of roles, many in independent films. She makes no apologies: "I am attracted to the darker places than I am to the lighter, frothier stuff and I'm not sure why that is," she told the Web site Filmfreakcentral.com in 2006. "I do think that it's certainly more challenging to play the dark places. But it's the part, primarily, and on the whole I'd rather play a wonderful part in a movie that few people see rather than a sort of cosmetic role in a blockbuster.

Not that I've been offered many of those." There have been a handful of major Hollywood productions, however, most notably the 1998 version of "The Parent Trap" and the Jennifer Lopez vehicle "Maid in Manhattan" (2002), which she took as "a laugh," she told Filmfreakcentral.com. "You'll have to blame Ralph [Fiennes] for that one. He's the most wonderful actor, a good friend; we thought we'd have a laugh." Richardson met Neeson during the 1993 Broadway run of "Anna Christie" and later made the film "Nell" with him. When the two met, Richardson was married to producer Robert Fox, but that marriage ended. She later married Neeson. The two have generally stayed out of the tabloid press, but they won a 1998 libel suit against the London tabloid The Mirror over a story that claimed their marriage was a sham. The newspaper apologized, and Neeson and Richardson were awarded $85,000, which they donated to victims of a Northern Ireland car bombing.

Richardson has come to terms with her famous name -- and, having worked with her mother more than once, greatly appreciates her abilities. "What's always different about my mother is that there's always something unexpected about her work, because she's sort of fearless," Richardson told About.com's Murray. "When she hits it, then it sort of is just incandescent." She added that "her children have entirely forgiven her" for the difficulties when they were younger, "because she is a great mother." Richardson and Neeson have two children: Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12.

Question: Who married Liam Neeson in 1994 after they met on the set of the film "Nell"?
Answer: Natasha Richardson