Liam Pádraic Aiken (born January 7, 1990) is an American actor. He has starred in films such as '' Stepmom'' (1998), '' Road to Perdition'' (2002), and ''

Good Boy! ''Good Boy!'' is a 2003 American science fiction comedy film directed by John Hoffman, based on the book ''Dogs from Outer Space'' by Zeke Richardson; Hoffman and Richardson collaborated on the screen story, while Hoffman wrote the screenplay. T ...

'' (2003), and played

Klaus Baudelaire The children's novel series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' and its film and television adaptations features a large cast of characters created by Daniel Handler under the pen name of Lemony Snicket. The original series follows the turbulen ...

in '' Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' (2004), based on the series of books. He also starred in the films ''

Nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...

'' (2012), '' Ned Rifle'' (2014), '' The Bloodhound'' (2020), and '' Bashira'' (2021).

Personal life

Aiken was born in New York City, the only child of Moya Aiken, an Irish-born artist; and Bill Aiken, an

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

producer, who is of Scots-Irish descent. Bill died of

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voi ...

in September 1992, at age 34, when Liam was two years old. Aiken grew up in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

and attended Dwight-Englewood School, graduating in 2008. He then went on to major in film at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

. , Aiken resides in Los Angeles.

Career

Aiken made his professional acting debut in a

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

commercial by Ford Aerostar. 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 ''

'' (2003). He was considered to play Cole Sear in ''

The Sixth Sense ''The Sixth Sense'' is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose patient ( Haley Joel Osment) claims he can see and talk to the dead. Released ...

'' (1999), but the role went to Haley Joel Osment. The following year, he was also considered for the role of

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...

due to his Irish heritage and Scottish ancestry, as well as his previous work with director

Chris Columbus Christopher Columbus was an explorer born in Genoa, Italy. Christopher Columbus or Chris Columbus may also refer to: People * Chris Columbus (musician) (1902–2002), American jazz drummer * Chris Columbus (filmmaker) (born 1958), American direc ...

on ''Stepmom'', but Daniel Radcliffe ultimately won the role, due to J. K. Rowling's insistence that the part should go to a British actor. Aiken went on to play intelligent 12-year-old orphan

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 ''A Gifted Man'' is an American fantasy medical drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 23, 2011. The series is about a talented but self-absorbed surgeon ( Patrick Wilson) who starts questioning his purpose in life when he is v ...

''. From 2012 to 2015, he narrated the audiobook versions of ''

All the Wrong Questions ''All the Wrong Questions'' is a four-part children's book series and prequel to ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' by Lemony Snicket (the pen name of American author Daniel Handler). The series explores Snicket's childhood apprenticeship to the ...

'', a prequel series to ''A Series of Unfortunate Events''. In 2012, he portrayed a boy who returns home after being missing for years in ''

'', directed by Andrew Brotzman. In 2014, he played the title role in '' Ned Rifle'', the third film in a trilogy that began with ''Henry Fool'' and continued with '' Fay Grim'' (2006). In 2020, he co-starred '' The Bloodhound'', a mystery film inspired by the

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

short story " The Fall of the House of Usher." In 2021, he portrayed an electronic musician who suffering a series of nightmares with bizarre and mysterious appearances in '' Bashira'', directed by

Nickson Fong Nickson Fong (born 1969) is a Singaporean computer graphics artist and the first Singaporean to receive an Academy Award. Early life Sent by his father for art lessons since three, Fong studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design after ge ...

. He also played J.R. in ''Montauk'', directed by Sean Nalaboff.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aiken, Liam 1990 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male child actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male video game actors American people of Irish descent American people of Scotch-Irish descent Audiobook narrators Dwight-Englewood School alumni Living people Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from New York City Tisch School of the Arts alumni