
Biography
William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an Irish actor. He was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and educated at Saint Patrick's College, Ballymena Technical College and Queen's University Belfast. He moved to Dublin after university to further his acting career, joining the renowned Abbey Theatre. In the early 1990s, he moved again to the United States, where the wide acclaim for his performance in Schindler's List led to more high-profile work. He is widowed and lives in New York with his two sons. He has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards. He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Alfred Kinsey in Kinsey, Ras Al Ghul in Batman Begins and the voice of Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia film series. He has also starred in several other notable films, from major Hollywood studio releases (ie. Excalibur, The Dead Pool, Nell, Rob Roy, The Haunting, Love Actually, Kingdom of Heaven, Taken, Clash of the Titans, The A-Team, Unknown) to smaller arthouse films (ie. Deception, Breakfast on Pluto, Chloe).
Awards & recognition
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award — Best Actor · 2004
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire · 1999
- honorary master's degree · 1996
- Volpi Cup — Best Actor · 1996
- Theatre World Award · 1993
Show all 21 awards →
- Drama League Award
- Order of the British Empire
- Golden Raspberry Award — Worst Supporting Actor - Razzie Award · 2012 · nominated
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award — Best European Film · 2011 · nominated
- Independent Spirit Award — Best Male Lead · 2005 · nominated
- Satellite Award — Best Actor – Motion Picture · 2005 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama · 2004 · nominated
- Phoenix Film Critics Society Award — Best Cast · 2004 · nominated
- Drama Desk Award — Outstanding Actor in a Play · 2002 · nominated
- Tony Award — Best Actor in a Play · 2002 · nominated
- MTV Movie Award — Best Fight · 2000 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama · 1996 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1994 · nominated
- BAFTA Award — Best Actor in a Leading Role · 1994 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama · 1993 · nominated
- Tony Award — Best Actor in a Play · 1993 · nominated
Filmography50+ titles

Schindler's List

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Derry Girls

Conan O'Brien Must Go

Atlanta

The Simpsons

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi

Nature

The Dark Knight Rises

Benjamin Franklin

Batman Begins

Liberty's Kids

Spielberg

The Orville

The Secret Policeman's Ball

A Woman of Substance

Miami Vice

The Lego Movie

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet

Taken

Family Guy

The Mission

Pilgrim's Progress

A Monster Calls

Gangs of New York

If Tomorrow Comes

Life's Too Short

Conan

The Graham Norton Show

Breakfast on Pluto

Les Misérables

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Silence

Road

The Next Three Days

Kingdom of Heaven

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Love Actually

Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Last Laugh

Girl Rising

The Wildest Dream

The Endurance

Out of Ireland

Husbands and Wives

Excalibur

Michael Collins

Saturday Night Live

Cold Storage

Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return