Neeson recently completed the thriller The Haunting, directed by Jan De Bont and also starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lili Taylor, and Gun Shy, co-starring Sandra Bullock and Oliver Platt. Both films will be released this summer.
The Irish-born actor had originally sought a career as a teacher, attending Queens College, Belfast and majoring in physics, computer science, math and drama. Neeson set teaching aside and in 1976 joined the prestigious Lyric Players Theatre in Belfast, making his professional acting debut in Joseph Plunkett's The Risen People. After two years with the Lyric Players, he joined the famed repertory company of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Neeson appeared in the Abbey Theatre Festival's production of Brian Friel's Translations and a production of Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars for the Royal Exchange Theater where he received the Best Actor Award.
In 1980, John Boorman spotted him playing Lennie in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and cast him in his epic saga of the Arthurian legend Excalibur. Following his motion picture debut in Excalibur, Neeson has appeared in more than thirty films demonstrating his wide range of characters, including Roger Donaldson's epic remake of The Bounty, the critically-acclaimed Lamb for which he received an Evening Standard Drama Award nomination, Duet For One, A Prayer for the Dying, The Mission, Suspect, The Good Mother, Peyton Westlake, Darkman, Crossing the Line, Shining Through, Under Suspicion and Husbands and Wives.
Other recent credits include Leap of Faith, Nell, Before and After, Ethan Frome and the title role in Rob Roy.
In 1993, Neeson was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award in the Best Actor category for his portrayal of Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's highly acclaimed Schindler's List.
Neeson also starred in the title role in Neil Jordan's Michael Collins, for which he received Best Actor honors at the Venice Film Festival, a Golden Globe Best Actor nomination and London's prestigious Evening Standard Award for Best Actor. The film also received the highest honor in Venice: The Golden Lion Award. Last year, Neeson starred in the screen adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables in the role of Jean Valjean, and on Broadway as Oscar Wilde in David Hare's critically acclaimed The Judas Kiss.
Neeson made his Broadway debut in 1993 in the Roundabout Theater's revival of Eugene O'Neill's 1921 drama Anna Christie. Co-starring Natasha Richardson and playing to sold out audiences nightly, the run was extended and garnered him a Tony Award nomination.
Having gained his first theatrical experience at the Perth Repertory Theatre, EWAN McGREGOR (Obi-Wan Kenobi ) trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He left Guildhall in March 1992 to play the leading role in Dennis Potter's Lipstick on Your Collar, a six-part serial drama for Channel 4, before traveling to Morocco in October 1992 to film Bill Forsyth's feature Being Human. He went on to star in Penny Cineiwicz's production of Joe Orton's What the Butler Saw at the Salisbury Playhouse early in 1993.
He played the lead role in Ben Bolt's three-part BBC TV adaptation of Stendahl's classic 19th Century novel, Scarlet and Black, and was in Family Style, a short film from a Lloyds Bank Challenge-winning script, directed by Justin Chadwick for Channel 4. Other television credits include Kavanagh QC, Doggin' Around, "Cold War," an Episode of Tales from the Crypt, and a guest part in an Episode of ER.
McGregor starred in Shallow Grave, a feature film produced by Andrew MacDonald and directed by Danny Boyle for Figment Films. Shallow Grave was named Best Film at the 1994 Dinard Film Festival. McGregor shared the Best Actor award with co-stars Christopher Eccleston and Kerry Fox, and it won the BAFTA Alexander Korda Award for The Outstanding British Film of the Year and the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Feature Film.
McGregor's additional film credits include Blue Juice, The Pillow Book, Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary, again for Danny Boyle and Andrew MacDonald; Emma, Brassed Off, Nightwatch, The Serpent's Kiss, Velvet Goldmine and Little Voice.
McGregor recently starred on stage in Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs at the Comedy Theatre, and directed his first short film, Bone.
