Liam Neeson’s son Micheál made headlines in 2018 after it was revealed that he had changed his last name to Richardson – but there was a special reason behind his decision
Liam Neeson is the proud father of two sons – but one of them no longer has his surname.
The 73-year-old actor from Northern Ireland had two kids, Micheál and Daniel, with his wife Natasha Jane Richardson. The British actress, who appeared in movies including The Parent Trap, Maid in Manhattan and The White Countess, tragically died during a family holiday to the Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec, Canada, on March 16, 2009.
Natasha, who was 45 at the time, fell on the beginner’s trail at Station Mont Tremblant and hit her head – and while she initially thought nothing of her fall, she was unknowingly suffering a serious brain bleeding injury. Despite appearing fine, her condition was deteriorating, leading to her death two days later, on March 18.
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After the tragedy, Liam raised his sons alone, with Micheál, 30, following in his father’s footsteps in to the entertainment industry, and Daniel, 28, studied theater at Tulane University. In 2018, Micheál made headlines after it was revealed that he had changed his last name from Neeson to Richardson.
However, ditching his father’s surname, it wasn’t in any way meant to detach himself from Liam – it was a way for Micheál to honor his late mom. As reported by the Daily Mail, Natasha’s actress mom, Vanessa Redgrave, said, “He’s taken, officially, the name of his mother. He’s Micheál Richardson, not Micheál Neeson.”
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.”
Back in 2012, Liam admitted in an interview that he worried about his sons as they grew up. He said, “My kids are learning to drive at the minute and it’s kind of nerve-racking, isn’t it? They’re actually quite accomplished but inside of you, you always see them at a very young age and now suddenly they’re driving a car. It’s something every parent goes through.”
At the time, he described fatherhood as “an ongoing joy,” saying, “It’s always a joy but it’s a joyful worry. My boys are 16 and 17 now and it seems like just last Tuesday that crossing the road was a major event. And, then, letting them cross the road themselves was a serious major event.”
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Explaining how his children have helped him grow as a man, the actor said, “They really do help, in all sorts of quiet, subtle ways.. They seldom come home when they’re supposed to but I just have to get used to that.” Liam also previously opened up about his grief, saying losing his wife left a permanent mark on him.
He shared how grief can affect you when you least expect it, as it comes and goes in “waves,” saying, “It hits you. It’s like a wave. You just get this profound feeling of instability. The earth isn’t stable anymore, and then it passes, and it becomes more infrequent, but I still get it sometimes.”
Liam and Natasha married in 1994 following her split from producer Robert Fox in 1992. After her death, their boys continued to live with their father in the US and embarked on successful careers.
However, Liam vowed that he would not date again, having never really moved on from the loss of Natasha. Asked if he was seeing anyone by People magazine, he said, “No, in a word. I’m past all that.” While the actor did briefly date on occasion after Natasha died, it seems he is now content to live out his days alone having given up on looking for love.
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