Liam Neeson Academy Award-nominee Liam Neeson has become one of the leading international motion picture figures of our time. The Irish-born actor, who originally sought a career as a teacher, attending Queen's College, Belfast, and majoring in Physics, Computer Sciences, Math and Drama, set teaching aside in 1976 and joined the prestigious Lyric Players Theatre in Belfast, which has been called "the best training any actor could have " . He made his professional acting debut with the Lyric Players in Joseph Plunkett 's "The Risen People" . He then joined the famed repertory company of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, appearing in their Festival ' s production of Brian Friel's "Translations " as well as in a production of Sean O'Casey 's "The Plough and the Stars " for the Royal Exchange Theatre where he received the Best Actor Award. hi 1980, John Boorman spotted him playing Lennie in John Steinback 's "Of Mice and Men" and cast him in his epic saga of the Arthurian legend "Excalibur ". Since then Neeson has appeared in over 20 films demonstrating a wide range of characters, including Dino De Laurentis ' epic remake of "The Bounty"; the critically acclaimed "Lamb" for which he received an Evening Standard Drama Award nomination; Andrei Konchalovsky 's "Duet for One"; "A Prayer for the Dying" in which he acted with Mickey Rourke and Bob Hoskins; and Roland Joffe ' s "The Mission", co-starring with Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons. Neeson continued to star in a succession of acclaimed films and recent credits include: "Leap of Faith", "Nell ", "Before and After ", and "Rob Roy". In 1993, he made his Broadway debut in the Roundabout Theatre's revival of Eugene O ' Neill' s 1921 drama "Anna Christie" , playing to sold out audiences nightly and garnering a Tony Award nomination. Also in 1993, Liam Neeson was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award in the Best Actor categories for his work in Steven Spielberg 's highly acclaimed "Schindler ' s List" . In 1996, Liam Neeson starred in the title role in Neil Jordan's "Michael Collins", for which he received Best Actor honors at the Venice Film Festival, a Golden Globe Best Actor nomination and London' s prestigious Evening Standard Award for Best Actor. The film, which received the highest honor in Venice, The Golden Lion Award, has set box office records in Europe. More recently, in 1998, Neeson starred in the screen adaptation of Victor Hugo 's "Les Miserables " in the role of Jean Valjean, released by Columbia TriStar, and, that same year, he played Oscar Wilde in David Hare's new play, "The Judas Kiss", which opened in London ' s West End on March 19, and subsequently on Broadway on April 29. In addition, Liam Neeson will star in the first of the Star Wars prequels ("Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace") for George Lucas, in May 1999, playing the role of Master Jedi Knight.