Liam Aiken
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| Liam Aiken | |
 Aiken as Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events |
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| Birth name | Liam Padraic Aiken |
| Born | January 7, 1990 (age 17) New York City, USA |
| Notable roles | Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events |
Liam Padraic Aiken (born January 7, 1990) is an American actor who has starred in a number of films, his most prominent role being that of Klaus Baudelaire in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Aiken was born in Manhattan, New York, the only child of Bill Aiken, an MTV producer, and an Irish immigrant mother, Moya Aiken. He made his professional acting debut in a Ford Motor Company Windstar commercial. Liam made his stage debut in the Broadway play A Doll's House at the age of seven and his film debut playing Parker Posey's son in Henry Fool in the same year. It was because of his need of a college fund, that his mother encouraged him to become an actor. When Liam found that he enjoyed acting, he decided to continue.
[edit] Career
Aiken's first major film role was playing Susan Sarandon's young son in Stepmom in 1998, which also starred Julia Roberts and Jena Malone. He appeared as Tom Hanks' younger son in the 2002 film Road to Perdition. He starred in the family film about dogs from space,Good Boy! playing the lead, Owen Baker, in 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; the role went instead to Haley Joel Osment. Liam was also considered for the role of Harry Potter, as he had previously worked with director Chris Columbus on Stepmom. Unfortunately, he was unable to take the part as he was not from the British Isles, so a young British actor named Daniel Radcliffe took the part. Liam then went on to play the intelligent 12 year old and orphan, Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events in 2004.
Liam's film roles have earned him critical acclaim[citation needed] as well as nominations (and at least one award) aimed at recognizing young acting talent. In December 2004, he was seen in one of his more recognized roles as Klaus Baudelaire, the orphaned, avid reader in the film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Jim Carrey, based on the popular books of the same name.
[edit] Personal life
Aiken currently attends Dwight-Englewood School. He will graduate in 2008. A fan of punk music, he plays the electric and acoustic guitar, as well as the drums. He aspires to play the guitar like the guitarist, Tom Morello, of Rage Against the Machine. He was the lead guitarist and vocalist for the band Saint Levi in Connecticut who broke up in early 2007. His first dog, an Italian Greyhound, was named Kes (after the kestrel in Kes).
[edit] Filmography
| Medium | Project | Year Released | Character | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage/Broadway | A Doll's House | 1997 | Bobby Helmer | Anthony Page |
| Film | Henry Fool | 1997 | Ned Grim | Hal Hartley |
| Film | The Object of My Affection | 1998 | Nathan | Nicholas Hytner |
| Tv | Law and Order | 1998 | Jack Ericson | Various |
| Film | Stepmom | 1998 | Ben Harrison | Chris Columbus |
| Film | I Dreamed of Africa | 2000 | Young Emanuel | Hugh Hudson |
| Film | Sweet November | 2001 | Abner | Pat O’Connor |
| Film | The Rising Place | 2001 | Emmett Wilder | Tom Rice |
| Film | Road to Perdition | 2002 | Peter Sullivan | Sam Mendes |
| Tv | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | 2002 | Robbie Bishop | Frank Prinzi |
| Film | Good Boy! | 2003 | Owen Baker | John Hoffman |
| Film | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | 2004 | Klaus Baudelaire | Brad Silberling |
| Film | Fay Grim | 2006 | Ned Grim | Hal Hartley |
- TBA: To Be Announced
