Liam Neeson recalls ‘falling in love’ with his late wife Natasha Richardson

Neeson met Natasha Richardson while working on Broadway in the early 1990s

Liam Neeson has recalled falling in love with his late wife, Natasha Richardson, amid speculation that he is now dating his Naked Gun co-star Pamela Anderson.

The 73-year-old Northern Irish actor met Richardson, best known for her roles in The Parent Trap and Maid in Manhattan, in 1993 while they were both working on Broadway.

The pair fell for each other while working together on a production of the play Anna Christie. By July 1994, they were married and later had two sons together, Micheál and Daniel.

Richardson tragically died in 2009, just two days after hitting her head while undertaking a beginner’s skiing lesson at a resort in Mont Tremblant, Canada.

Liam Neeson and wife Natasha Richardson in 2005 (Getty Images)

Speaking to the New York Times, Neeson affectionately recalled working with Richardson during that period and how their romance blossomed. He said: “It was great doing it every night with her and falling in love.”

Neeson’s comments about his love for Richardson come as rumours have suggested that he is now dating Anderson, due to their chemistry both on and off the screen.

Although neither has addressed the speculation head-on, the pair have appeared cosy during red carpet appearances to promote the film.

Asked about their potential romantic involvement on the Today show, Neeson joked: “What? I don't understand the question. I had never met Pamela before. We met on set. And we discovered we had a lovely, budding chemistry as two actors. Like, ‘oh, this is nice. Let’s not mould this. Let’s just let it breathe,’ and that’s what we did.”

The Oscar-winning Schindler’s List actor previously told People: “With Pamela, first off, I’m madly in love with her. She’s just terrific to work with. I can’t compliment her enough, I’ll be honest with you. She’s funny and so easy to work with.”

Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson in ‘The Naked Gun’ (Paramount Pictures)

Neeson’s role in The Naked Gun follows comedic cameos in TV shows Atlanta and Derry Girls. The film is directed by The Lonely Island star Akiva Schaffer with Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane serving as producer.

The original Naked Gun was written and directed by Airplane!’s Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker, and was based on their television series Police Squad!, which parodied the police procedural genre.

The Naked Gun trilogy, released between 1988 and 1994, was hugely successful, making over $400m at the box office worldwide. The new film will be released on 1 August.