Liam Neeson's son changes his last name in honour of his late mother Natasha Richardson

Liam Neeson’s son Micheál has changed his last name in honour of his late mother, the actress Natasha Richardson.

Richardson’s mother and Micheál’s grandmother, the 81-year-old Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, confirmed the news.

“He’s taken, officially, the name of his mother. He’s Micheál Richardson, not Micheál Neeson,” she told Waitrose Weekend (reported by Daily Mail) while promoting her new play The Inheritance Parts 1 & 2 at the Noel Coward Theatre.

“That wasn’t because he wanted to avoid his father’s fame, which is enormous. He wanted to hold his mother close to him — because she was a remarkable actress. Absolutely remarkable.”

She added: “Our quaint customs dictate we have to have a male name. I don’t object. Why not? It’s as good as any.”

Redgrave died in a tragic skiing accident in Canada, during a family holiday in 2009, when Micheál was just 13.

She had been taking a beginner’s ski lesson at the Mont Tremblant resort in Quebec, when she fell and sustained a seemingly head injury, though she initially appeared to be unharmed.

But she was admitted to hospital hours later, where it emerged she had suffered extensive internal bleeding.

She died two days later after being flown to a hospital in New York. She was 45.

Micheál, who is now 23, is also planning to go into the family business as an actor.

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