Ballymena honours most famous son
The actor waded through a scrum of well- wishers as he arrived at the reception. “It is great to be back,” he said.
The star of Schindler’s List and Michael Collins began his career in Belfast’s Lyric Theatre and later joined the Abbey Theatre in Dublin before moving to London, then Hollywood.
He was spotted by film director John Boorman while he was performing at the Abbey, subsequently appearing in Boorman’s film Excalibur in 1981.
He was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of a German businessman who prevented many Jews from being sent to Nazi death camps in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List.
Another of his most prominent roles has been the portrayal of rebel leader Michael Collins in the film of the same name.
His other work includes parts in The Mission, Suspect, Rob Roy, Batman Begins and more recently he enjoyed huge success in the action movies, Taken and Taken 2.
This is the second time Neeson has been offered the freedom of the borough after refusing the Co Antrim council’s recognition in 2000 amid controversy over his alleged derogatory remarks.
He was quoted as saying in an American magazine he felt “second-class” as a Catholic growing up in the mainly Protestant town, and felt he had to stay indoors during the loyalist Jul 12 commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne.
Only three people have been awarded the freedom of Ballymena: Ian Paisley, Dr Syd Millar, and Sandy Spence.
Neeson was married to the actress Natasha Richardson, who died in 2009 after suffering a head injury while skiing in Canada. He lives in New York and was awarded the OBE in 2000.
* On his looks: “Some mornings you wake up and think, gee I look handsome today. Other days I think, what am I doing in the movies? I wanna go back to Ireland and drive a forklift.”
* On acting: “Acting is invigorating. But I don’t analyse it too much. It’s like a dog smelling where it’s going to do its toilet in the morning.”
* On his life: “I’ve been very lucky. You do create your own luck too, you know? I never forget where I’m from. Whenever I pass a building site or see somebody digging a ditch, I always think, ‘That’s real work.”
* On success: “I regard the enduring support which I have received over the years from all sections of the community in Ballymena as being more than sufficient recognition for any success which I may have achieved as an actor.”
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