Liam Neeson's life has been filled with unrivaled success, as well as unthinkable hardship.
But through it all, it seems his greatest source of joy might just be his two sons,
Micheál and Daniel. Both successful young men, these days, they're looking like Hollywood
heartthrobs in their own right.
"Maybe she knew she wasn't destined to be on this earth for a long period of time"
On March 18, 2009, the Neeson brothers suffered the unthinkable. Daniel was just 12 and Micheál
was 13 when their mom, Tony award-winning actress Natasha Richardson, died in a freak
accident. Richardson had fallen during a ski lesson at a Canadian ski resort. The CBC reports
that she wasn't wearing a helmet at the time, but seemed fine at first.
An hour after returning to her room, Richardson experienced a headache and was rushed to the
hospital. But it was too late, the 45-year-old had suffered blunt force trauma. Recalling
that tragic day, Liam Neeson told 60 Minutes that he knew all hope of recovery was lost
when he saw his wife's X-ray. He remembered,
"You didn't need to be a rocket scientist to see what was happening. The brain's squashed
up against the side of the skull. I was told she was brain dead."
Richardson was later transported to Manhattan's Lenox Hill Hospital, where she was visited
by her mother and children before being taken off of life support. Not only was the boys'
final memory of their mother a heartbreaking one, but as family coach Jill Brooke noted
in a HuffPost op-ed,
"There's no replacing mommy, which is why my heart aches for Natasha Richardson's two
young sons. Losing a parent makes you an adult overnight, someone who realizes how fleeting
and random life can be."
In a truly touching tribute to his late mother, oldest son, Micheál, changed his last name
from Neeson to Richardson in 2018. Natasha's mother, actress Vanessa Redgrave, was the
one who confirmed the news with the Daily Mail that October, telling the outlet,
"He's taken, officially, the name of his mother. He's Micheál Richardson, not Micheál Neeson."
Redgrave also made sure to dispel rumors that her grandson, an aspiring actor, had changed
his name for another more career-oriented reason. She explained,
"That wasn't because he wanted to avoid his father's fame, which is enormous. He wanted
to hold his mother close to him, because she was a remarkable actress. Absolutely remarkable."
"This is where I wanna be, this is where I wanna go"
As Micheál struggled to come to terms with his mother's passing, he began to spend an
increasing amount of time immersed in the New York party scene. He admitted to the Belfast
Telegraph,
"I was putting [socializing] with my friends as my top priority. Rock bottom was when I
chose to miss classes to meet up with them, as well as not [realizing] that family and
work come first."
In the summer of 2014, he finally acknowledged that he needed to make a change. He said,
"After a while, I thought, 'What am I doing? This is instant gratification, there's no
substance to your conversation.'"
So, he checked into a so-called "wilderness therapy camp" in Utah and began his recovery.
But he's adamant that it wasn't a typical rehab stint. He added,
"Of course, other articles bigged it up as a sob story about a celebrity child who goes
to rehab, which really wasn't the case. What I wanted to address was a lack of motivation
and direction in my life."
Following his time in nature, which included camping and cooking outdoors, Micheál moved
to London. According to Hello! magazine, he continued his wellness journey across the
pond by moving in with Topes Calland, who the Evening Standard called a quote, "super-mentor
who rescues the children of the rich and famous."
Following his recovery, Micheál found himself living in London and falling in love with
fashion. He then turned this passion into a career and, when he was just 19, he opened
his very own couture-led gallery in London's posh Soho neighborhood.
His goal was to launch his career as a fashion curator and showcase clothing made by fashion
school grads from Central Saint Martins in collaboration with Savile Row tailors. Micheál
himself had interned on London's famed Savile Row, crafting bespoke suits, then worked alongside
Phoebe Philo at the Céline fashion house. It was this background in the industry that
inspired the gallery, but Micheál's late mother also played a key role. He told the
outlet,
"Fashion was something I never went after before, but it's so important, as it shows
who you are. One thing my Mum taught me was to dress how you feel, dress how you want.
She loved dressing up for every occasion and sometimes wore some pretty crazy stuff."
"We ought to find a way to take advantage of that"
Like his older brother, Daniel also felt drawn to the world of fashion from a young age.
While Micheál tried his hand at curation, his younger bro took things one step further
as a budding designer. In 2017, while studying theater and digital media at Tulane University,
he launched his own brand called Pine Outfitters.
The eco-friendly clothing line features an outdoorsy range of gender neutral t-shirts,
beanies, baseball caps, and more. And according to W magazine, it's best described as a mix
of Patagonia and Urban Outfitters. The brand also plants one tree for every product sold.
While speaking with WWD around the time of the launch, Daniel addressed the critics and
justified his stake in the fashion industry, saying,
"Everybody's like, 'Oh, another celebrity son doing a fashion line,' or becoming an
actor and stuff like that. For me, it came naturally."
As for Daniel's biggest fan, it's always been his proud pop. He added,
"My father's been really supportive along the way. Whatever endeavor I decide, he's
been on my back helping me, not just emotionally, but supporting what I do."
Back in 2017, the trio behind Pine Outfitters tried taking the electronic music world by
storm. Calling themselves Recess Club, Daniel and his two best friends, Billy Renza and
Adam Millman, started DJing in the hopes of striking it big.
On Instagram, the musicians have described themselves as "New York City-based" with quote
"worldwide dreams." Beginning in 2017, they showcased themselves playing college shows
at Tulane University and The University of Scranton, before landing a number of gigs
at New York City's Rumpus Room. A European trip followed, although it's unclear if they
actually played any gigs. By November 2017, Recess Club teased its mere handful of fans,
writing,
"2018 is going to be a huge year for us, New York City."
But despite their lofty goals, Recess Club posted for the last time in January 2018,
seemingly ending their music career almost as soon as they got it going.
Not long after he launched his gallery, Micheál put his fashion aspirations on hold to set
his sights on the family business: acting. In 2015, Deadline confirmed that Micheál
would not only be following in his parents' footsteps, but that his debut role would be
one his father had played nearly 20 years earlier; Irish revolutionary Michael Collins
in The Rising, the same historical figure Neeson portrayed in 1996's Michael Collins.
Prior to the announcement, Micheál revealed in an interview with The Ireland Independent
that there was one person who wasn't in love with the idea of him becoming an actor, his
dad.
"Being an actor's all about rejection."
Micheál told the outlet,
"Dad was like 'please become a carpenter or something.' On my Mum's side I was encouraged
to do whatever I wanted. I've done a couple of drama courses. My inner actor is in there
somewhere, it's lingering in the shadows."
After ignoring warnings from his father to stay away from Hollywood, Micheál officially
fell victim to the acting bug. What's more, proud dad Liam now seems to be totally on
board with his son's career choice.
"It was kind of a no-brainer, ya know, as regards, acting with him, it was just having
a regular conversation with your boy, ya know"
Since snagging his first major role in The Rising, Micheál has landed a handful of other
parts, including two films in which he stars opposite his famous father. While speaking
about their surprise collaboration in crime drama Cold Pursuit, Neeson said via Business
Insider that while his connection got the ball rolling, his son landed the gig for himself.
He said,
"I had suggested [Micheál] early on to [Hans Petter Moland], our director, and [Michael
Shamberg], our producer. And then I just stayed away. Micheál read for the part and he got
it. I was pleased, pleased for him too."
"I didn't want to just jump in and do it as, like a solid for Liam, you know what I mean?
I really wanted to audition for it."
But it's not just the big screen that interests Micheál: He's also got his eye on Broadway.
In October 2019, Playbill revealed that Micheál had made his stage debut in the world premiere
of Nothing Gold Can Stay, a new Off-Broadway play written by Chad Beckim, which was described
as a quote, "opioid-era love story."
Take one look at Daniel's Instagram feed and you'll instantly see he's in a committed relationship
and is very happy to post about it. While not much is known about his girlfriend, Natalie
Ackerman, careful examination of Daniel's page revealed a number of interesting facts.
For one, Ackerman appears to be a fellow Tulane University alum, as well as a college football
fan, Stranger Things lover, and Daniel's preferred travel partner. The pair have jetted around
the United States and Europe together, posting adorable snaps from a wide array of destinations,
from Prague, to St. Tropez, to Daniel's native Belfast.
In July 2018, the couple celebrated their one-year anniversary, with Daniel writing,
"Best business I ever started. [One] year strong with my bubs."
It may have started as a side hustle in college, but Daniel's foray into eco-friendly fashion
is no fleeting hobby. Speaking about Pine Outfitters' mission to help the planet, Daniel
told the New York Post in 2019,
"I don't want this business to be about my money. I think it's about building a community
and giving back."
Part of that has involved planting trees and recycling bottles, over 2,000 and 14,000,
respectively, as of March 2020, as well as teaming up with innovative brands to show
the world what sustainable fashion can look like.
In November 2019, Pine Outfitters unveiled a collab with REPREVE, a brand that creates
recycled fiber, which can then be used in everything from apparel to homeware. The capsule
collection featured three long-sleeved shirts made from 16 recycled water bottles each,
which Daniel proudly boasted about on Instagram.
As the young designer told the New York Post, his fascination with sustainability started
in the fifth grade, when he first learned about climate change. He said,
"It really struck me [and] I've always been in tune with the environmental crisis. I think
it's great that I caught the bug when I was young to do something different [than acting]."
It turned out, that was also something his late mother fully encouraged. She once told
him,
"Don't ever feel like you have to be forced down a tunnel to fit in. Do what you want
to do, but do it to your best and be generous with it."
Micheál Richardson has been hustling hard to achieve his acting dreams, and his dedication
appears to be paying off. In February 2020, Variety confirmed that IFC Films had acquired
the US rights to a comedy starring Micheál alongside his famous dad.
Thanks to the deal, the movie, which is titled Made In Italy, was guaranteed a "traditional
theatrical release" in the States in the summer of 2020. The film tells the story of a bohemian
artist, played by Liam, and his estranged son, played by Micheál, who travel from London
to Tuscany to sell a home the artist inherited from his late wife. Unfortunately, they find
it in utter disrepair, and a comedic renovations fiasco ensues. And yes, Liam Neeson also does
comedy.
"Yes, Liam Neeson that's a serious guy."
As of March 2020, Micheál's IMDb page also had two other impressive works listed in post-production:
a starring gig in the romance, Entree Des Artists, and a recurring role in the TV series,
Big Dogs. It also announced his casting in The Rising: 1916, slated for a future release.
The Neeson men have always shared a loving, unbreakable bond, which seems to be made all
the stronger by their favorite sport: hockey. Liam, Micheál and Daniel are all regular
fixtures at New York City's Madison Square Garden during hockey season, and have been
repeatedly photographed cheering on various teams over the years.
In 2016, for example, the trio was snapped watching a game between the New York Islanders
and Boston Bruins. And in 2018, Liam and Daniel were on-hand to watch the Chicago Blackhawks
take on the New York Rangers. Meanwhile, the three reunited in the front row a year later,
excitedly cheering on the Rangers as they played the Islanders.
But they don't only follow hockey. It seems any major sporting event is reason enough
for the Neesons to spend some quality time together. In 2014, cameras caught Liam and
Daniel attending a basketball game between the New York Knicks and Florida's Miami Heat.
We love some of that father-son bonding time, especially with these guys.
"I'm a very proud parent."
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