Liam Neeson (born 7 June 1952 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland) is one of Ireland's most celebrated actors, with a 40+ year career whose films have grossed over $11.7 billion worldwide. He rose to international prominence with his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List (1993), following early roles in Excalibur (1981) and The Mission (1986). He later became a blockbuster fixture as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins (2005), and Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy (2005–2010). Beginning in 2008, he reinvented himself as a major action star with the Taken series and thrillers like The Grey (2011) and Non-Stop (2014), while also earning two Tony nominations on Broadway for Anna Christie (1992) and The Crucible (2002). Growing up Catholic in a predominantly Protestant town, he took up boxing at age nine and later credited the Bloody Sunday massacre (1972) for sparking his interest in local history, noting the Troubles are "part of my DNA." Appointed an OBE in 2000, Neeson remains a versatile and enduring figure in both dramatic and action cinema.