It has been intriguing to follow Liam Neeson's professional development. With 2008's Taken, in which he played Bryan Mills, an intelligence agent who uses his "special set of abilities" to recover his missing daughter, the hero of prestige dramas like 1993's Schindler's List and 1995's Rob Roy made a dramatic left turn. As a result, the actor experienced something of a comeback and appeared in several action plays.
Honest Thief, his most recent movie, continues Liam Neeson's current renaissance as an action star, which the 68-year-old actor has no immediate intentions to end. Continue reading for more information about Liam Neeson's films, his boxing history, and his tense encounter with Queen Elizabeth II.
1. Liam Neeson dabbled with boxing.
William Neeson, who was born on June 7th, 1952 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, initially intended to pursue pugilism rather than acting. In 2014, Neeson recounted hearing his parish priest, Father Darragh, announce he was forming a kids boxing club when he was nine years old and attended Sunday Mass. Neeson told HuffPost, "He had two ropy sets of ratty, old, antique boxing gloves and a book on how to box." He began at page 1 and taught us how to throw a left jab and do all that, and six years later—I say this with great, great pride—he led our club to become one of the top clubs in Ireland. From my boxing days, I met several really great friends that I still keep in touch with now.Although he eased out of intense training at the age of 17 to pursue his acting goals, Neeson regarded his skill level as "decent."
2. Liam Neeson operated a forklift on behalf of the Guinness brewery.
Liam Neeson started his undergraduate studies at Queen's University Belfast in physics and computer science in 1971 while performing in student plays. Neeson later dropped out of school to perform several odd jobs, including one driving a forklift truck at the Guinness brewery. A senior driver there referred to the well-known Western actor Roy Rogers when he said that he may be the next him. Despite not agreeing with the similarity, Neeson persisted with his performance. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Queen's University in 2009.
3. Miami Vice featured Liam Neeson.
After performing on stage in Ireland in the 1970s, Neeson was able to land several well-known parts in Hollywood, such as in movies like 1984's The Bounty, which also starred Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson, and 1981's Excalibur. Alongside Robert De Niro, he also starred in the 1986 film The Mission. He was given a part in an episode of Miami Vice in 1986 because to his connection with De Niro. Neeson was recommended by De Niro to Bonnie Zimmerman, a casting director, who secured him a role as IRA terrorist Sean Carroon in the show. Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Gina Calabrese, two police officers, shoot him (Saundra Santiago).
4. André the Giant won a part that Liam Neeson was vying for in The Princess Bride.
In 1987's The Princess Bride, based on the William Goldman novel of the same name, Neeson ran for the role of the gentle giant Fezzik when his Hollywood career was just getting started. Rob Reiner felt that despite Neeson's imposing 6-foot-4 physique, he was too small for the role. Professional wrestler André the Giant was cast in the part.
5. After his nephews downloaded Taken, Liam Neeson became irate.
With 2008's Taken, a suspenseful pursuit thriller written by Robert Mark Kamen (1984's The Karate Kid) and directed by Luc Besson (1994's Léon: The Professional), Neeson's comeback as an action star officially begun. By assuring the director that he had "done quite a few magic movies with swords and sh-t," Neeson persuaded Besson of his acting prowess. Although Besson hired him, Neeson saw the role more as a fun opportunity than a potential hit. He even thought that it may be recorded right away.
When his nephews revealed they had obtained the video from the internet, his worry increased. He said to Entertainment, "So I thought, 'My nephews are breaching the law,' which really infuriated me, and also I thought, 'Well, that's it.recurring in 2020. 'If you can download it, it's already disappeared,' Of course, Taken was a huge box office success and inspired two sequels.
6. Liam Neeson thinks a horse recognised him from an earlier movie.
Neeson claimed to have run across a horse on the set that he remembered from another movie while filming The Ballad of Buster Scruggs with the Coen Brothers in New Mexico. It appears that the horse also recognised Neeson. It's really unbelievable, he assured The New York Post. "This horse recognised me, I'm saying. He really recognised me from a previous Western that we had produced. I adore animals. I gave him extra attention when we previously collaborated on a job. I gave him sweets. He was given apples. Neeson claimed that when the actor approached, the horse whinnied and pawed the ground.
7. Liam Neeson likes to fly fish.
The actor enjoys fly fishing and frequently visits Wyoming and other places to capture fish. He even made an appearance on the Conway Bowman-hosted television programme Fly Fishing the World.
8. When Liam Neeson first met the Queen, he shook with fright.
Neeson received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1999 for his dramatic performances on stage and screen. However, he didn't receive it for more than two years and claimed to be "weak-kneed" when he saw the Queen for the accolade in 2002. He informed her that he thought the distinction was due to his work in both theatre and film and waited for her answer. That's lovely, she remarked.