Liam Neeson’s Hunky Son Micheál Richardson Took Our Breath Away

Mar 10, 2022 by apost team

Liam Neeson is an Irish actor who has received several accolades and awards throughout his career and has been recognized as being one of the greatest film actors to ever come from Ireland. Born on June 7, 1952, he grew up with a love for the arts and worked hard to make his dreams become reality. He joined a theater in 1976 in Belfast before finding work and really making a name for himself just a few years later. He rose to fame in 1993 with the film “Schindler’s List,” and the rest is history.

Since then, Neeson has shown off a wide range of skills as an actor, starring in dramas, thrillers, action films and everything in between. It seems like there’s no role that Neeson can’t tackle. On top of being an astounding actor, he is also a family man. Unfortunately, Neeson has had to face many challenges and hardships in grieving over the loss of several family members, including his late wife, Natasha Richardson.

Neeson and Richardson had a beautiful love story. They began dating in 1993 and were married in 1994. Together, they welcomed two sons, Micheál and Daniel. They lived as a happy family for 16 wonderful years, but in 2009, tragedy struck. While on a ski trip with one of her sons, Richardson fell and hit her head, which led to brain injury and ultimately her death.

Now, Neeson and his sons are doing their best to carry on Richardson’s memory. Neeson and Micheál have even put their grief into their work, as Micheál has gone on to follow in his father’s footsteps and became a handsome actor.

Liam Neeson (1999), (Newsmakers/Getty Images)

Before he went on to find a love for acting, Neeson had a love for boxing. When he was just nine years old, he began taking boxing classes at the All Saint Youth Club and went on to win a number of regional titles. He quit the sport at the age of 17, as his interest in acting had fully peaked, finding inspiration from the world around him.

Still, Neeson continued to explore other interests and eventually found his way back to sports, discovering a true talent for football while studying at Queen’s University Belfast. Although he went on to play in one game, he was never offered any kind of contract.

Neeson picked up jobs here and there before he joined the Lyric Players’ Theatre in Belfast in 1976. He performed there for a couple of years and then moved to Dublin in 1978. Neeson continued to find work on the stage and further cemented himself as an aspiring actor with plenty of potential.

Finally, Neeson started to make his move toward acting in films. In 1980, a filmmaker by the name of John Boorman was blown away by Neeson’s performance in a production of “Of Mice and Men” and offered the actor a role in the film “Excalibur.” Neeson proved himself and went on to pick up more roles in small-budget movies and  television shows while also continuing to act on stage. He also moved to London during this time and lived with fellow actress Helen Mirren during most of the early 1980s.

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Liam Neeson (2009), (Getty Images/Getty Images)

Between 1982 and 1987, Neeson starred in five films alongside big-name actors such as Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins in “The Bounty,” and Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons in “The Mission.” He also starred in a season of the television series “Miami Vice” in 1986 and moved to Hollywood within the following year. Neeson continued to find more waves of success and went on to work alongside Cher and Dennis Quaid in “Suspect” – a role that helped skyrocket his career, earning him plenty of critical acclaim.

The 1990s also proved to be monumental for Neeson in a number of ways. His career was still escalating as the actor landed more high-profile roles. He also met his future wife, Richardson, and worked with her on “Ellis Island,” “Nell” and the Broadway play “Anna Christie.” While they worked well together professionally, they worked even better as a couple.

A glamorous acting couple, Richardson and Neeson met in 1993. At the time, Richardson was married to producer Robert Fox, although the couple was going through a divorce. Neeson and Richardson soon began dating, and it’s clear that love was beautiful and strong as they married on July 3, 1994. The following year, they welcomed their first son Micheál and welcomed their second son, Daniel, in 1996.

After seeing Neeson’s performance in “Anna Christie,” Steven Spielberg offered him the role of Oskar Schindler in the film “Schindler’s List.” The movie brought the actor critical acclaim and success, earning him a nomination for an Academy Award. The film itself won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson (2005), (Brad Barket/Getty Images)

While Neeson has time and again shown that he has plenty of talents in a variety of film,  TV and stage genres, one of his most recognized performances has been in the “Taken” franchise. The films follow the life of a retired CIA operative who sets out to track down his teenage daughter’s kidnappers. Neeson starred in the action films, which were box-office hits. The first film grossed $223.9 million worldwide.

As an action star, Neeson has gone on to appear in several films in the exciting genre, proving that all those years staying active in sports really paid off. Some of his other work includes “Cold Pursuit,” “Honest Thief,” and “The Ice Road.”

However, according to The Playlist, Neeson never thought he would pursue a career in action films. “‘Taken’ was an accident,” the actor explained. “I never focused on, ‘Oh, I’d love to do action movies.’ It wasn’t really on my periphery. I read (it) and just thought, ‘This would be great; just hang out with stuntmen every day and beat guys up.’ I did think it would be straight-to-video, and that was no problem.”

Afterward, he continued to receive scripts for more movies, for roles that may not have originally been meant for someone his age. Neeson said he felt “very privileged” to be offered the roles but also felt “a little bit guilty.”

Although Neeson has been able to enjoy several accomplishments and the beautiful moments of life, he has sadly also gone through his share of hard times. The star has lost a handful of his loved ones.

Liam Neeson (2017), (Vera Anderson/WireImage/Getty Images)

Neeson and his family suffered a terrible loss in March 2009 that changed their lives forever. Richardson was on a ski trip with Micheál in Quebec, Canada, when she fell and hit her head. After the fall – during which she wasn’t wearing a helmet – she turned down medical attention and went about her day. Sadly, three hours later, she was rushed to the hospital, and Neeson immediately flew from Toronto to see her. When he arrived, he learned that she was on life support.

The couple had previously made a pact that if either one of them ended up in that state, the other would “pull the plug.” Neeson told CBS:

“So when I saw her and saw all these tubes and stuff, that was my immediate thought. Was, ‘OK, these tubes have to go. She’s gone.'”

Richardson died on March 18, 2009. Since his wife’s death, Neeson has been vocal about how much he misses her, and there are days that are definitely harder than others. “It was never real. It still kind of isn’t,” he said. He has not had a public relationship since.

In March 2014, Neeson opened up to ABC about how he turned to substances during his time of grief. However, he now doesn’t drink. The actor said:

“I was just – I was drinking too much. It started since my wife died. So last year, I just thought – they’ve been throwing these action movies at me, and I thought, ‘OK, let’s just change it a little bit.’ And it’s been great. I love it.”

Liam Neeson (2018), (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

Sadly, this was not the only loss Neeson grieved in his personal life. His mother, Kitty Neeson, passed away on June 6, 2020 – just one day before Neeson’s birthday.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, Kitty’s death was announced by a priest named Father Paddy Delargy at evening mass at All Saints Church in Ballymena. She was 94 years old at the time and had been sick for many months after suffering a fall. Kitty later went to a few nursing homes to help with her recovery. Her death was announced just one day before Neeson turned 68.

Unfortunately, Neeson was absent from his mother’s funeral due to travel difficulties following the lockdown restrictions that were in place during the pandemic at the time. According to the Belfast Telegraph, Neeson had been in New York at the time and was unable to return to his hometown for his mother’s services.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, Kitty’s funeral service was strictly private, with family members attending. A family notice described her as the beloved wife of the late Barney and mother to Elizabeth, Bernadette, Liam and Rosaleen. The notice also referred to her as a devoted grandmother and great-grandmother.

Although Neeson and his two sons were unable to attend Kitty’s funeral in person, they still found a way to mourn the loss and celebrate all of the beautiful moments they shared with Kitty by gathering to watch an internet stream of the service. Although it wasn’t necessarily their first choice, it was a way for them to come together and remember Kitty.

Liam Neeson (2014), (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

“I lost my mother last June, and it was strange for Micheál and myself and Micheál’s brother Daniel, for the three of us to be here looking at my mother’s funeral via a computer screen,” he said in March 2021, according to the Irish Post. He added, “That was kind of strange – it was kind of surreal. But before my mum passed away, we would go back – I would go back – twice a year perhaps.”

By the way, Neeson has spoken about his mother over time; it’s clear that she meant a great deal to him, and she will always hold a special place in his heart. During a 2016 interview, the accomplished actor spoke about his mother and said, “She gets annoyed if she can’t walk to Mass on Sunday morning, and I just think, ‘Mum, you’re 90. It’s OK! God will forgive you.'”

Fortunately, Neeson has friends and family in his life that he can lean on during difficult times. However, when the people he’s losing are his family members, it’s not hard to see how his own family may need their distance. This was the case for Neeson’s eldest son Micheál, who had a hard time grieving Richardson’s death. He turned to a “dark” place and relied on substances, according to The Belfast Telegraph.

He said:

“Of course, when it happened it was devastating. But in my mind, subconsciously, I either pushed it out or stored it deep inside.”

Fortunately, Micheál was able to work his way up from “rock bottom” and turned to “wilderness therapy.” Micheál, who was given the surname Neeson at birth, even honored his late mother by changing his surname to Richardson in 2018.

Liam Neeson (2018), (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Since then, Micheál has gotten on a better path and has even followed in his famous parents’ footsteps by entering the acting industry. He is also an extremely handsome man. Micheál made his acting debut in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” in 2013. It’s clear that he loves multiple types of arts and culture, as he also had a fashion gallery in London in 2015, according to The Belfast Telegraph.

Neeson and Micheál have both used their work to help cope with their personal feelings and starred in a movie together called “Made in Italy.” The film follows the story of a widower and his estranged son who reunite at a villa in Tuscany, left by the woman who was Neeson’s wife and Micheál’s mother. Neeson described filming the movie as “cathartic in a way – the way in which art sometimes can be.”

Micheál also starred as Neeson’s son in the 2019 film “Cold Pursuit.” He also appeared in the 2018 film “Vox Lux” alongside Natalie Portman and the 2021 film “On Our Way.” According to IMDB, Micheál has more projects in the works and is set to appear in a film titled “The Rising: 1916, alongside the likes of Colin Morgan, Fiona Shaw and David O’Hara.

It’s clear that Neeson and his family have been through a lot together, but they have also been able to produce some amazing work in the entertainment industry. Above it all, Neeson and his son Micheál have shown that when you have loved ones by your side, nothing is impossible.

Micheál Neeson, Joely Richardson (2018), (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

What do you think about Liam Neeson’s son Micheál? Have you seen any of the projects he’s been in? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your loved ones.