THE RUNDOWN:
- Liam Neeson has seemingly debuted a relationship with his co-star Pamela Anderson
- Liam Neeson has, by all appearances, been single since the death of his first wife, actress Natasha Richardson in 2009
- Richardson has talked about their love story and his profound loss over the years. We take a look back.
For Liam Neeson privacy has long been a hallmark of his personal life. It’s been over a decade since the tragic loss of his wife, Natasha Richardson, an acclaimed actress and mother to their sons, Micheál and Daniel, who died following a skiing accident in Canada in 2009. Since then, Liam Neeson has been single, his name absent from tabloid romance columns.
Since her death, Neeson has kept a low romantic profile. He even told People earlier this year that he was “done with all that” when asked about dating and has shared heartbreaking quotes about his late wife. But now, in happy news for fans, it seems like 16 years later, the actor is enjoying a fledgling romance with his Naked Gun co-star Pamela Anderson.
While the pair haven’t officially confirmed anything, the presence of both their families — including Neeson’s and Anderson’s respective sons — has only fuelled curiosity. More than just a press tour stop, the premiere felt like a moment of genuine connection for two actors with very public pasts and, perhaps, a shared understanding of life in the spotlight. Anderson’s previous romances are well documented, but Neeson has rarely discussed his marriage. Meanwhile, Andy Cohen, a friend of the late actress and her husband, said Natasha Richardson’s friends are in full support of Neeson’s new love affair. “You know, Natasha was a dear friend of mine and I’m gonna tell you something,” he said. “I, and all of the friends in this circle, are very much excited stanning whatever this is.” “It’s been a long time,” she said. “It’s not like it’s been a year. No, it’s been a long time this man has been single.”
We’re taking a look back at his romance with wife Natasha Richardson.
How Did Natasha Richardson Die?
Richardson died at age 45 following a skiing accident in Quebec, a devastating loss that reverberated far beyond Hollywood. At the time, Micheál and Daniel were just 13 and 12 years old, respectively. In an interview with People in 2024, Neeson reflected on the tragedy: “It was a horrible thing to happen. Everybody just pulled together.” He shared that his focus in the aftermath was “making sure [the boys] were okay.”
While on a family holiday in 2009, Natasha Richardson was taking a beginner ski lesson at Quebec’s Mont Tremblant resort when she fell on the slope. At first, it seemed minor. She reportedly laughed off the tumble and declined medical attention. But within hours, her condition worsened. The fall had caused a fatal brain bleed from blunt impact.
Back on set in Toronto, Liam Neeson received the call. His wife had been flown to a hospital in Montreal. He rushed to be by her side, only to be met with devastating news.
“She was brain dead,” he would later tell 60 Minutes‘ Anderson Cooper in a rare and heart-wrenching interview. “She said, ‘Oh, darling. I’ve taken a tumble in the snow,” he remembered. “That’s how she described it.” But soon her condition worsened.
In 2014, Neeson told Loaded magazine that he and his wife had shared a pact. “She and I had made a pact. If any of us got into a vegetative state, we’d pull the plug.” “So when I saw her and saw all these tubes and stuff that was my immediate thought, ‘OK, these tubes have to go. She’s gone’.”
“She was on life support… and I told her I loved her,” he said. “I said, ‘Sweetie, you’re not coming back from this. You’ve banged your head. It’s– I don’t know if you can hear me, but that’s- this is what’s gone down. And we’re bringing you back to New York. All your family and friends will come.’”
Richardson was transferred to New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital, where loved ones gathered to say their goodbyes. She was just 45.
True to who she was in life, Richardson was an organ donor. Her heart, kidneys, and liver helped save the lives of others — a gesture Neeson believes would have brought her peace. “She would be very thrilled and pleased by that,” he said.
How Did Liam Neeson And Natasha Richardson Meet?
The couple first met in 1993 while starring opposite each other on Broadway, tying the knot the following year. At the time Richardson’s first marriage to producer Robert Fox was ending. She called the beginning of her relationship with Neeson “bad timing” but said their connection was undeniable. “Obviously, I fell very much in love with him,” the Parent Trap star said in a Daily News interview published in March 2009. Neeson, for his part, was blown away. “She was a radiant beauty,” he said in an interview, “Yeah, cascading hair, I remember. There was– that was very, very attractive.” In the same interview, he admitted he’d never experienced the kind of connection he’d had with his first wife.
“I’d never had that kind of explosive chemistry situation with an actor or actress,” he said of their time on stage together. “She and I were like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. We just had this wonderful kind of dance — free dance on stage every night.”
While his reputation has been positively monk-like since his wife’s death, Neeson, a card-carrying Gemini, had a reputation as something of a ladies’ man at the time. Fortunately, Richardson wasn’t the jealous type. “I’m pleased women fall in love with him, because I know why,” she said—their romance deepened when Richardson flew to Poland to visit Neeson while he was shooting Schindler’s List. The couple returned to the US, bought a farmhouse in upstate New York and tied the knot on their property in 1994. Richardson surprised her new husband with a personal rendition of their wedding song “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison.
Natasha Richardson Movies And TV Shows
Natasha Richardson captivated audiences with a string of memorable roles, none more beloved than Elizabeth James, the warm and devoted mother to Lindsay Lohan’s twins in The Parent Trap.
Born into the legendary Redgrave acting dynasty, Natasha was the daughter of acclaimed actress Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson, and the granddaughter of theatrical icons Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. Yet, from the very beginning, she forged her own distinctive path in the arts.
Her early film work—portraying figures such as Mary Shelley and Patty Hearst—earned her critical acclaim and demonstrated a remarkable range. On Broadway, she made an immediate impact with her debut in Anna Christie (1993), which garnered her a Theatre World Award. But it was her electrifying turn as Sally Bowles in the 1998 revival of Cabaret that truly defined her legacy, earning her a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.
On screen, Richardson’s career was equally diverse and compelling. From intense dramas like Patty Hearst (1988) and The Handmaid’s Tale (1990) to heartfelt roles in Nell (1994), and Maid in Manhattan (2002), and iconic comedies like The Parent Trap (1998), she brought a rare combination of strength and vulnerability that left an indelible mark on audiences and critics alike.
Natasha Richardson And Emma Thompson
There’s a surprisingly long history of confusion between Emma Thompson and Natasha Richardson, especially when it comes to The Parent Trap. Entire Reddit threads have been devoted to the collective confusion about who starred in the movie.
In reality, it was Richardson who played the effortlessly elegant Elizabeth James, the London-based wedding dress designer and mother to Lindsay Lohan’s twin characters. The mix-up likely comes from their striking resemblance, especially since Natasha’s character sported a cropped blonde hairstyle similar to Emma Thompson’s signature look.
Liam Neeson And Natasha Richardson’s Children
Neeson and Richardson shared two sons, Micheál Richardson, 30, and Daniel Neeson, 28, who were still young when their mother died in 2009.
In a quiet tribute, Micheál later adopted his mother’s surname—Micheál Richardson—and has followed the family craft into acting, starring opposite his father in the tender 2020 film Made in Italy, a story about love and loss that mirrors their own. Daniel has largely steered away from the spotlight, pursuing business and creative projects. He studied Theatre and Digital Media at Tulane University and is now an entrepreneur; he launched the eco-minded clothing label Pine Outfitters in 2017, and later co-founded additive-free spirits company DE-NADA Tequila.
Both brothers remain close to their mother’s celebrated Redgrave family. Together, they’ve carried forward Natasha’s warmth and wit, proving that a fierce, artistic lineage—and an enduring love—can outlast the deepest grief.
What Has Liam Neeson Said About Natasha Richardson’s Death
Over the years Neeson has talked movingly about the rocky process of moving on from grief and heartbreak. He admitted in the 60 Minutes interview that his late wife’s passing never felt “real” to him.
“There’s periods now in our New York residence when I hear the door opening, especially the first couple of years, she would always drop the keys in the — on the table. Say, ‘Hello?’” he recalled during the 60 Minutes interview. “So anytime I hear that door opening I still think I’m gonna hear her, you know. And, then, it’s — grief’s like — it hits you. It’s like a wave. You just get this profound feeling of instability. You feel like a three-legged table. Just suddenly you just — the Earth isn’t stable anymore. And then it passes and becomes more infrequent, but I still get it sometimes.”
In 2016, Neeson shared an extended post to Facebook reflecting on his loss. “They say the hardest thing in the world is losing someone you love. My wife died unexpectedly. She brought me so much joy. She was my everything.”
He reflected upon his nearly two-decade romance with the actress in the Facebook post adding, “Those 16 years of being her husband taught me how to love unconditionally. We have to stop and be thankful for our spouses. Because, one day, when you look up from your phone, they won’t be there anymore. What I truly learned most of all is, live and love everyday like it’s your last. Because, one day, it will be.”
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