Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson was born on this day in 1952. His career began in theatre in Belfast before director John Boorman cast him as Sir Gawain in his Arthurian fantasy epic 'Excalibur' (1981). Further supporting roles followed in 'The Bounty' (1984), 'The Mission' (1986) and 'The Dead Pool' (1988).

In 1990 he landed the starring role in Sam Raimi's 'Darkman' but it was his portrayal of Oskar Schindler in Spielberg's 'Schindler's List' (1993) that would prove to be his breakthrough role, earning him a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

He has since forged a highly successful career starring in a number of commercial and critical hits including ''Rob Roy' (1995), 'Michael Collins' (1996), Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (1999), 'Love Actually (2003), 'Batman Begins' (2005), 'Taken' (2008), and 'Widows' (2018). Happy Birthday Liam.