Liam Aiken
Liam Pádraic Aiken[1] (born January 7, 1990) is an American actor. He has starred in films such as Stepmom (1998), Road to Perdition (2002), and Good Boy! (2003), and played Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), based on the series of books.
Liam Aiken | |
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Aiken at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival | |
Born | Liam Pádraic Aiken January 7, 1990 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Education | Dwight-Englewood School |
Alma mater | New York University |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1997–present |
Personal life
Aiken was born in New York City, the only child of Moya Aiken, an Irish-born artist;[2] and Bill Aiken, an MTV producer.[3] Bill died of esophageal cancer in September 1992, at age 34, when Liam was two years old.[1][2] Aiken grew up in New Jersey and attended Dwight-Englewood School, graduating in 2008. He then went on to major in film at New York University.[4] As of 2017, Aiken resides in Los Angeles.[2]
Career
Aiken made his professional acting debut in a Ford Motor Company commercial. He made his stage debut in the Broadway play A Doll's House at the age of seven, and his film debut in Henry Fool (1997). His first major film role came when he starred in Stepmom (1998). He appeared in Road to Perdition (2002) and the family film Good Boy! (2003). He turned down the role of Cole Sear in The Sixth Sense (1999) because his mother felt he was too young for the death-fixated role. He was also considered for the role of Harry Potter due to his Irish ancestry and his previous work with director Chris Columbus on Stepmom.[5] However, Daniel Radcliffe took the part.[6]
Aiken went on to play intelligent 12-year-old orphan Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). He also appeared in The Killer Inside Me (2010). In September 2011, he appeared in the CBS series A Gifted Man. From 2012 to 2015, he narrated the audiobook versions of All the Wrong Questions, a prequel series to A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Henry Fool | Ned | |
1998 | Montana | Kid | |
1998 | The Object of My Affection | Nathan | |
1998 | Stepmom | Ben Harrison | |
2000 | I Dreamed of Africa | Emanuele Gallmann (age 7) | |
2001 | Sweet November | Abner | |
2001 | The Rising Place | Emmett Wilder | |
2002 | Road to Perdition | Peter Sullivan | |
2003 | Good Boy! | Owen Baker | |
2004 | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Klaus Baudelaire | |
2006 | Fay Grim | Ned Grim | |
2010 | The Killer Inside Me | Johnnie Pappas | |
2012 | Electrick Children | Mr. Will | |
2012 | Girls Against Boys | Tyler | |
2012 | Munchausen | Son | Short film |
2013 | How to Be a Man | Bryan | |
2014 | Ned Rifle | Ned | |
2015 | The Frontier | Eddie | |
2015 | Weepah Way for Now | Reed | |
2015 | Let Me Down Easy | Hezekiah | Short film |
2017 | The Emoji Movie | Ronnie Ram Tech |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Law & Order | Jack Ericson | Episode: "Disappeared" |
2002 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Robbie Bishop | Episode: "Bright Boy" |
2007 | Law & Order | Tory Quinlann | Episode: "Captive" |
2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Jason | Episode: "Salome in Manhattan" |
2011 | A Gifted Man | Milo | 2 episodes |
2013 | Mad Men | Rolo | Episode: "The Quality of Mercy" |
Stage
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | A Doll's House | Bobby Helmer | Belasco Theatre |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Klaus Baudelaire | Voice |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Result | Work |
---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actor Age Ten or Younger | Won | Stepmom |
2003 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor | Nominated | Road to Perdition |
2004 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor | Nominated | Good Boy! |
2005 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor | Nominated | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events |
2005 | Critics Choice Award | Best Young Actor | Nominated | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events |
References
- "Bill Aiken". Variety. October 13, 1992.
- Christopher, Rita (May 31, 2017). "Moya Aiken: Finding the Inner Artist". Zip06.com. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- Hill, Logan. "Unfortunate Son". New York.
- Ja, Irene (September 2, 2008). "Famous faces join campus". Washington Square News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
- Guardian UK (accessed June 24, 2007)
- "BBC News - ENTERTAINMENT - Python joins Potter cast". news.bbc.co.uk.
External links
- Liam Aiken on IMDb
- Liam Aiken at AllMovie