No, if the name Micheál Richardson (27) doesn’t mean anything, you don’t have to immediately question your complete trivia knowledge about Hollywood. This is also due to the fact that said Richardson actually had a much more well-known surname, but no longer does so for the most tragic reasons. It is the son of action star Liam Neeson (70) and Natasha Richardson, who died in 2009 at the age of 45 as a result of a skiing accident.
Micheál was only 13 when he lost his mother, who was also an actress. In 2018 he took her last name – “not because he wanted to avoid his father’s fame, which is enormous. But to carry his mother close to him”, as his maternal grandmother revealed to the “Daily Mail” at the time. Said grandma is herself a true legend in the dream factory: Oscar winner and two-time Globe winner Vanessa Redgrave (86).
The death of his mother, Richardson had to admit to himself years later, made him addicted to drugs and alcohol. Barely outgrown his childhood, in 2014, he had already reached “the absolute low point”, quoted “Daily Mail”. With the help of his father and his younger brother Daniel and a stay in a rehab clinic, he was finally able to conquer his inner demons.
His father’s last name may be different from his. Now more than ever, Richardson is aiming for the same profession as his famous old man. The 27-year-old’s star could soon rise for good – in a way it has already done so: next May the film “On Our Way” will be released in selected US theaters and shortly thereafter on-demand, in which Richardson stars as Henry embodied. For this performance, he received the Rising Star Award from the Ischia Film Festival in Italy in July last year.
Richardson is by no means new to the film business. He made his debut as Micheál Neeson in the slapstick film “Anchorman – The Legend Returns”. Five years later he had a small role in the music drama “Vox Lux” with Natalie Portman (41). Undeniable jump-starts followed in 2019 and 2020, when Richardson starred in two flicks, Hard Powder and Auf die Liebe. Main actor in both works: a certain Liam Neeson.
The upcoming “On Our Way” follows a struggling filmmaker (Richardson) who is struggling to finish his latest script. The up-and-coming actor had to do without fatherly advice on the set, but not family advice: grandmother Vanessa Redgrave can be seen in a supporting role.
In any case, Micheál Richardson will remain true to the screen for the time being. Two more projects with him are already in the pipeline. The first of these, a drama called “Somewhere Quiet” and again starring Richardson, is currently in post-production. The film “Blood Pressure”, which is scheduled for 2024, is reminiscent of his father’s violent action strips, at least thanks to the title.
