Liam Neeson’s 2 Sons: All About Micheál Richardson and Daniel Neeson

Liam Neeson’s sons are all grown up — and still enjoying spending time with their famous father.

The Enterprises the star welcomed two children with his wife Natasha Richardson, Micheál Richardson in 1995 and Daniel Neeson in 1996. Natasha died in 2009 at the age of 45 when Micheál and Daniel were 13 and 12 respectively.

Liam’s boys have two different names for a very special reason — in 2018, Micheál changed his last name to Richardson in honor of his late mother.

“I think he did the right thing. It was a lovely tribute… Natasha’s family, mother and sisters were very touched by it as I was,” Liam told Andy Cohen on Radio Andy in 2020.

Although becoming a single parent was unexpected and difficult, the famous actor spoke about his loving fatherhood. “Being a dad is a constant joy. It’s always a joy, but it’s a joyful worry,” he said Her magazine in 2012. “No matter how many you have, they will still be your little boy or your little girl. And you are a hostage of love.”

After Natasha’s death, whenever Liam was working on a project, his mother-in-law, actress Vanessa Redgrave, would move in to help take care of Micheál and Daniel. His sons are also used to his busy career as Liam has worked as an actor all his life.

“One of them was born on location, so they’re used to dad being away for long periods of time,” Liam told PEOPLE in 2014. “So far it’s been good, they’re not damaged.”

The Neeson boys haven’t moved far from their parents’ careers either. Micheál is an actor – he has already acted in a film with his father – and Daniel studied theater at Tulane University.

Natasha Richardson and her sons Micheál Neeson and Daniel Neeson attend the Broadway premiere of “Billy Elliot The Musical” on November 13, 2008 in New York City.

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

“Lately, I see him less as a father and more as a close friend,” Micheál told PEOPLE while promoting his and Liam’s 2020 film. Made in Italy. “A lot of people think he’s quite scary because he’s done all these action thrillers, but he’s just a big, lovable Irish bear. He’s a charmer.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Liam Neeson’s two sons.

Michael Richardson, 28

Micheál Neeson attends the premiere of “Somewhere Quiet” during the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival on June 8, 2023 in New York City.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Liam and Natasha welcomed Micheál on 22 June 1995 in Dublin.

Despite growing up on sets, seeing his parents in movies wasn’t always a great experience for Micheál — namely, when Liam played Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menaceand his character is killed at the end of the film.

“I’ve seen all their movies, but it was a little traumatizing at the age of 5 to see my dad cut in half by a lightsaber or blown up in an explosion and still kiss someone else,” Micheál admitted during an appearance with his father in 2021. The Graham Norton Show.

Micheál was on it Star Wars where he gave his father a good laugh. Liam gleefully shared an anecdote about his then two-year-old son walking straight up to R2-D2 for a hug, which Actually love star told ScreenRant “he was so sweet.”

The cast of ‘Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace’: Where are they now?

In 2015, Micheál opened up The Sunday Times about the difficult years that followed his mother’s death. “In my mind, subconsciously, I either pushed it out or stored it deep inside. And so for the next week I was like, ‘Okay, get on with your life.’ ” He said her death eventually caught up with him, explaining, “Things went downhill. The people I was with, we partied a lot. It was dark. I hit rock bottom.”

Micheál dealt with her grief and changed her last name from Neeson to Richardson in 2018, telling PEOPLE, “It was a way to honor her and her side of the family and carry on the name.”

Although he eventually began working in Hollywood, Micheál began his career in fashion, interning at Savile Row and Celine before working as a fashion gallery curator. He recently joined the family business, appearing in 2013 Host 2: The Legend Continues, in 2018 Vox Lux and the 2020 TV show Big dogs. He even starred in two films with his father, in 2019 Cold search and Made in Italy.

Liam insisted that there is no nepotism in the Cold search to act, but explained why acting with his son was so special. “We didn’t have to pretend we had a relationship, you know what I mean?” He said Irish Post in 2019. “Micheál is my son and he has some of my body language and I have some of his, so I think that comes through. It was easy to act with him. It was just a regular conversation with your boy.”

Liam Neeson and his son Micheál Neeson visit New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins game at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2016.

TM/NHL/GC images

Their second film, 2020 Made in Italy, tells the story of father and son coming together after the death of a matriarchal family. The subject matter was close, but the shoot became a cathartic experience for the father-son duo.

“When you lose someone so close to you, sometimes you just push it out of your head because the thought of them hurts,” Micheál told PEOPLE in 2020. “But I’ve found that it’s an unhealthy thing. You have to remember them.”

2021, said Micheál Time to watch movies of his late mother Natasha to keep her memory alive, explaining: “That [her death] it was so sudden… You can get a little dizzy, so you just hold on to tiny little memories, whether it’s her laugh or her energy in the room or her cooking. I have her movies to watch her in and I’m incredibly grateful.”

He previously told PEOPLE that his favorite movie of his mother’s is the 1998 one The parent trap “because I just see her as that person.” And he’s proud to act, just like her.

“Now that I’m on this journey that she went through herself, I feel like she’s with me,” he told PEOPLE. “I feel closer.”

Daniel Neeson, 27

Liam Neeson and his son Daniel Neeson participate in the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon on November 5, 2023 in New York City.

Bryan Bedder/Getty

Liam and Natasha added Daniel to the family on August 27, 1996 in New York. He went to Fordham Prep High School and graduated from Tulane University in 2019 with a BA in Theater and Digital Media Production, on his LinkedIn.

In 2017, Daniel, then a senior in college, launched an eco-friendly, charitable clothing line called Pine Outfitters. That July, he spoke to WWD about the assumptions behind launching the brand, admitting that he knew it was “a big cliché…another son of a celebrity doing a fashion line.”

But he told PEOPLE that his father, who proudly rocked items from the line and talked about Living with Kelly and Markhe was not only a supportive father, but also very supportive in a business sense.”

Daniel admitted to PEOPLE that he thought fashion was “honestly the last industry” he would have ventured into. “I was a great athlete. I loved playing sports like hockey and soccer and tennis and soccer and all that,” he said. “I always wanted to be a producer in the entertainment industry or a hockey player or something.”

Liam Neeson and his son Daniel Neeson at the Ottawa Senators vs. New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden on January 20, 2015.

James Devaney/GC Images

The men of the Neeson family have long been associated with sports. Over the years, Daniel has been seen cheering on his hometown team, the New York Rangers, with his brother and dad, including a 2016 game against the Boston Bruins and a 2019 game where the younger Neeson wore a Rangers jersey and jacket. The trio also sat courtside at New York Knicks games.

Although he hasn’t spoken publicly about his mother like his brother, Daniel shared a post on Instagram in 2018 to commemorate the ninth anniversary of Natasha’s death. “9 years stronger,” he wrote alongside a photo of his mom. “No one ever left, they become more alive. Don’t screw with your moms because they’re super heroes.”

In 2021, Daniel and his friend Adam Millman debuted an additive-free tequila brand, De-Nada, which his father also promoted on talk shows such as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Daniel paid tribute to his mother on the 15th anniversary of her death in March 2024, sharing an Instagram post that featured a black and white photo of Natasha.

I look forward to being reunited one day, but for now I take comfort in knowing you’re with me every step of the way,” he wrote. “I hope I make you proud. I think he would definitely be proud of my margarita skills. She was the OG mom of the margarita! As a child, I used to ask her for a sip of hers and she would gently say no until you were older. Little did she know that one day I would start my own brand of tequila and have way too many margaritas on hand.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education