Liam Aiken

An impish child actor, Liam Aiken made his name in the late 1990s by stealing scenes from such seasoned pros as Ed Harris, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Kim Basinger and Parker Posey--all before his tenth birthday. Born in New York City, this adorable little boy made his Broadway debut at age seven in the award-winning production of Ibsen's "A Doll's House" (1997) as one of the two sons abandoned by Janet McTeer's confused Nora. Next came the small, but memorable role as the long-suffering child of Posey's sharp-tongued tart in the delightful comedy "Henry Fool" (1997), followed by a cameo as Paul Rudd's student in the romantic comedy "The Object of My Affection" (1998) and a turn as Harris and Sarandon's precocious offspring in the maudlin misfire "Stepmom" (1998). Although Aiken was praised for the range of emotion he revealed, alternating between lovable moppet and distraught child facing his mother's death, this by-the-books, big screen disease-of-the-week movie received a lukewarm response from critics and audiences alike. Aiken offered another good performance as Emanuele, son to Kim Basinger's Kuki, in the overblown, critically panned travelogue "I Dreamed of Africa" (2000). He later appeared in the World War II drama "The Rising Place" (lensed 1999) and "Sweet November" (2001), a remake of the 1968 Sandy Dennis/Anthony Newley weeper that starred Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron.