Liam Neeson's Sons Are All Grown Up And Stunning

The smolder. The gravelly voice. The Irish lilt. The hard-hitting, quick-kicking, action movies. Actor Liam Neeson brings a lot to mind for most fans. And who can blame them? Neeson has starred in a whole host of hits, from the award-winning Schindler's List and the beloved holiday flick Love Actually to darker action and thriller movies like The Dark Knight Rises, Cold Pursuit, Widows, and, of course, Taken (as per IMDb), not to mention this long-lost movie, Unknown, which has become popular after it started streaming on Netflix.

What many don't think of when they think of the actor is "father." But he is one. Neeson has two sons with his late wife Natasha Richardson: Michéal and Daniel. The boys — born in 1995 and 1996, respectively, according to Celebrity Net Worth – have led pretty incredible lives in their short years on this earth. In fact, one might not even be able to call them "boys" anymore. After all, Liam Neeson's sons are all grown up and stunning, so let's get to know more about them.

When Liam Neeson's sons were just 13 and 12 years old, respectively, their mother, Natasha Richardson, died. According to ABC News, Richardson was skiing when she fell during her lesson and hit her head. The actress seemed fine at first, but was later taken to the hospital where she died from an epidural hematoma. Naturally, the boys took their mother's death quite hard. But, according to an interview Michéal Richardson did with The Belfast Telegraph, some of their parents' famous friends, including Bono from the band U2, were incredibly supportive in their grief. The brothers' grandmother, Vanessa Redgrave, also stepped up to help care for them.

As per The Belfast Telegraph interview, Richardson did seem to have more trouble coping with his mother's death than his brother. "I was putting [socializing] with my friends as my top priority," he revealed. "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." Luckily, the young man got his life back on track after spending a month at a therapy camp in the wilds of Utah.

Though Liam Neeson's sons are all grown up now, they still love spending time with their dear old dad. One of their favorite family pastimes, it seems, is taking in sporting events. And, luckily for Michéal Richardson and Daniel Neeson, their father can afford some of the best seats for some of the best games. For example, according to Hello!, the trio took in a New York Islanders hockey game against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden in 2016, and, as reported by the Daily Mail, the Neeson men saw the New York Rangers take on the New York Islanders in 2019. The sons are also known to have one-on-one time with their father at games, like when Neeson and his youngest, Daniel, sat ice-side as the New York Rangers battled the Chicago Blackhawks (via the Daily Mail).

The threesome apparently don't limit their love of sports to just hockey. They seem to take in whatever game they can, like when Neeson and Daniel attended a basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden, also per the Daily Mail.

If Michéal Richardson is Liam Neeson's son, why is his last name "Richardson"? The reason is truly touching. According to an interview his grandmother, Vanessa Redgrave, did with the Daily Mail, Michéal took the name Richardson to honor his mother, the actress Natasha Richardson, who died when he was only 13 years old. "That wasn't because he wanted to avoid his father's fame, which is enormous," Redgrave told the Daily Mail. "He wanted to hold his mother close to him." Redgrave was also very supportive of her grandson's choice to take his mother's name, stating: "Our quaint customs dictate we have to have a male name. I don't object. Why not? It's as good as any."

How does Neeson feel about his son not having his name? He's proud. "I think he did the right thing," the actor told Radio Andy (via The Irish Post). "I'd hate for him to be constantly asked: 'Oh are you Liam Neeson's son?' So, it was a lovely gesture. Natasha's family, mother, and sisters were very touched by it. I'm proud of it."

According to an interview with the Evening Standard, the time Liam Neeson's son Michéal Richardson spent at a wilderness therapy camp in Utah didn't just help him turn his life around — it also gave him new direction. Upon leaving the camp, the then-teen decided to move to London, where he landed an internship with a tailor on Savile Row. "I learned about what dedication means and the many months spent making just one bespoke suit," the young man said about his time as an intern. The internship apparently also gave him inspiration, as he followed it up by opening his own fashion gallery, Maison Mais Non, in 2015. 

But why did he pursue that internship in the first place? "Fashion was something I never went after before, but it's so important, as it shows who you are," Richardson revealed to the Evening Standard. "Back in New York, I didn't have a good reputation for fashion ... I'd be called a hipster for just wearing a couple of chains." His late mother was the one who changed his tune. "One thing my Mum taught me was to dress how you feel, dress how you want."

Daniel Neeson seemed to be following in his father, Liam Neeson's footsteps when he studied theater in college, according to the New York Post. Though he graduated from Tulane University in 2019, per Instagram, Neeson never acted. Instead, as he told the New York Post, he's using his acting skills to sell his ideas. "You have an idea ... and then you present it," he told the publication. "And when you present it, you [make sure it] relates to people." What's this big idea? It's a sustainable clothing company that has a focus on helping the environment. "We want to be a part of [the environmental] battle," he revealed to the New York Post. "I think it's about building a community ... and giving back."

Neeson also told the publication that he's glad he isn't an actor, and he thinks his mom would be, too. "She was always about 'don't ever feel like you have to be forced down a tunnel to fit in,'" he said of his late mother. "Do what you want to do, but do it to your best and be generous with it.'"

According to the New York Post, Liam Neeson's son Daniel Neeson has almost always been passionate about protecting the planet. He recalled a moment when he was in fifth grade, saying that a lesson about global warming sent him into a "panic attack." "It really struck me," he went on. "I've always been in tune with the environmental crisis [since then]." This passion inspired him to start his own environmentally-friendly clothing line while he was still in school at Tulane University. The line, Pine Outfitters, plants one tree for every product sold. As he told WWD, he would often sit in class and doodle. His sketches grew to include clothing, such as joggers and sweaters, that ended up in the Pine Outfitters line.

No matter how much it expands, though, Pine Outfitters will always come back to its original goal. "I'm excited to not only promote our clothing, but to promote our mission, which is to help embrace the wild side and help promote environmental awareness," Neeson told WWD. And Dad Liam Neeson is a fan of his son's work. "He loves wearing our hats," Neeson told the New York Post.

Many men would be proud and honored if their sons followed in their career footsteps, but not Liam Neeson. The Irish actor wanted his son Michéal Richardson to pursue literally any career but acting. "Dad was like 'please become a carpenter or something,'" Richardson told the Independent.ie back in June of 2015. 

For a while, Richardson took his dad's advice. He didn't become a carpenter, but he did work in fashion for a few years through several internships and his own fashion art gallery in London (via Evening Standard). However, he couldn't stay away from the family business forever. As he told the Independant.ie: "My inner actor is in there somewhere, it's lingering in the shadows." 

This "inner actor" came out of the shadows and into the light in July of 2015 when Michéal Richardson announced that he would be playing the infamous Irish rebel Michael Collins in the movie The Rising, as per a report from Deadline. And Richardson wasn't just figuratively following in his father's footsteps — he was literally walking where his dad had walked before, as Liam Neeson had also played Michael Collins in a different movie.

After initially telling his son to stay away from acting, Liam Neeson seems to have gotten on board with his son Michéal Richardson's career path. Neeson even recommended Richardson for a role in the film Cold Pursuit, though Richardson didn't get cast on his dad's name. "I had suggested him early on to Hans, our director, and Michael, our producer. And then I just stayed away." Neeson said in a statement to IANS (via Business Standard). "Michéal read for the part and he got it. I was pleased, pleased for him too."

Looks like Richardson has the pedigree and the talent to back it up, especially since he's landed many roles since first scoring The Rising back in 2015. According to his IMDb page, the young actor has appeared in movies like Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Vox Lux, and Broken Symphony, as well as the TV show Big Dogs. Richardson also scored some stage credits, such as when he starred in the off-Broadway play Nothing Gold Can Stay in 2019, as reported by Playbill.

Luckily for Liam Neeson and Michéal Richardson fans, the father-son duo have starred in two movies together (as of this writing): Cold Pursuit and Made in Italy. In Cold Pursuit, an off-kilter thriller about a father who goes on a revenge binge after his son is killed, Neeson plays the dad, and Richardson plays the son. "We didn't have to pretend to have a relationship. Michéal is my son ... so I think that comes across," Neeson told IANS (via Business Standard) about the movie. "It was a no-brainer with regard to acting with him. It was just having a regular conversation with your boy." 

Made in Italy also has Neeson and Richardson playing father and son. According to Variety, this film tells the tale of Robert (Neeson) and his estranged son, Jack (Richardson), who have to go to Italy to sell Jack's mother's villa after she dies. Obviously, Made in Italy hit close to home for Neeson and Richardson, as Richardson's mother died when he was a teen. But, as Neeson told Radio Andy, the experience was "cathartic" for them.

Though Liam Neeson's son Daniel Neeson decided to use his acting training for different purposes, that doesn't mean he was never a performer. The youngest Neeson boy did perform — as a DJ. Back in 2017, Neeson and two of his friends started a DJing music group called Recess Club that, as per the group's Instagram account, focused on house music. 

Even though, as of this writing, the group had only made 22 Instagram posts and scored only 82 followers, they did manage to book several gigs. They posted a photo of a gig on Instagram with the caption "showing Tulane University what just a part of Recess Club is made of" and made another post that appears to show that they had a "packed house at The University of Scranton." 

Though Recess Club did have a number of gigs in New York City, like one at the Rumpus Room, it does appear that they've since packed up their turntables and headphones. Their Instagram account hasn't had a new post since January of 2018, and their SoundCloud page hasn't been updated in years.

Liam Neeson's youngest son, Daniel Neeson, isn't just successful in business; he's also successful in love. The young entrepreneur has a long-term girlfriend named Natalie Ackerman. According to the New York Post, Ackerman and Neeson started dating when they were both sophomores at Tulane University in Louisiana, and their meet-cute was truly cute: They exchanged phone numbers and found that they were just one digit apart. Adorable. "I'm the luckiest guy ever," Neeson told the New York Post.

Ackerman seems to be quite lucky, too: The marketing professional scored quite the win when she started dating Neeson. Not only does he shower her with loving Instagram posts, like the one he made to celebrate her birthday that read: "Keep shining through life baby. No sky too high, no sea too rough ... love you," but he also brings her along on incredible getaways, from Prague, Czech Republic and Belfast, Ireland to sunny St. Tropez.

The oldest Neeson son, Michéal Richardson, has been just as successful in his career as his younger brother, but it seems he's seen less success in love. As of this writing, Richardson is single, as per an interview he did in mid 2020 with The Jakarta Post. Why is the handsome, young, famous actor single? The COVID-19 pandemic can be to blame. "It's hard out there for us single people during the time of Corona," he revealed to The Jakarta Post. "I've not been around so many people, so the dating scene has been sparse." 

Before fans start to get worried about Richardson being sad and alone, he's doing fine, as he told The Jakarta Post, "I have a few friends that I'm close with." However, he does wonder why other men his age have found love and he hasn't. "They're getting out there and have found girlfriends as of recently. I don't know what I'm doing wrong," he joked. Despite his persisting singleness, Richardson is committed to being safe during the pandemic: "I just have to stay diligent, no matter how lonely one can get."