For most of the last two decades, fans have gotten to know Liam Neeson from his action movies, but many fans might not know how funny the actor is. With Neeson’s 2021 action movie The Marksman topping the current Netflix streaming charts, it is easy to see his action movies. However, he also starred in The Naked Gun in 2025.
Of course, The Naked Gun is a sequel to the classic 1980s comedy movie starring Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin, and in the sequel, Liam Neeson stars as Frank’s son, who follows his father’s footsteps into the role of a police officer. It is just a taste of how funny Liam Neeson is, and he has a lot of films that prove it.
A Million Ways To Die In The West (2014)
Liam Neeson as Clinch Leatherwood Grimacing in A Million Ways to Die in the West
A Million Ways to Die in the West was a box office flop and a critical failure when it came out in 2014. Written and directed by Seth MacFarlane, the movie is a spoof of the Western genre, and MacFarlane’s brand of pop culture comedy didn’t work as well for many fans wanting to see a modern-day Blazing Saddles.
However, there were several funny moments in the film, and a lot of it was thanks to the several cameos that popped up in A Million Ways to Die in the West. This included the performance of Liam Neeson as Clinch Leatherwood. He was the bad guy, a ruthless outlaw who was the most vicious gunfighter in the territory.
It helps that Liam Neeson is always considered a serious actor, so when he even takes on the role of the deadpan villain in a Seth MacFarlane movie, it is his seriousness that makes it funny.
Leap Of Faith (1992)
Jonas Nightengale raising his arms in praise in Leap of Faith
Leap of Faith was one of Liam Neeson’s early career roles. This was a Steve Martin movie where the comedian played a Christian faith healer who holds revival meetings to swindle money from the people who live in a small Kansas town by pretending to make miracles using his skill at cons.
Liam Neeson stars as Sheriff Will Braverman, the one person in the town who sees through Father Jonas’s charade and begins to investigate his past. Even when Braverman reveals Jonas’s criminal past to the townspeople, it only makes him more popular, and they keep throwing more money at him.
Once again, Liam Neeson plays the straight man to Martin’s conman, and it proves that the best comic actors need a more serious partner to help carry the load, and Neeson proved early on that he was up for the task.
The Nut Job (2014)
Raccoon (Liam Neeson) and his ‘Muscle’ in The Nut Job
Liam Neeson has a very recognizable voice, which helps make him an excellent choice for animated movies. He lent his voice as a villain in more than one animated film, including the 2014 movie, The Nut Job. In this film, he plays the villain Raccoon as he tries to rule over all the animals in the park.
While it seems he is doing what is best for the park animals, helping them prepare to survive the winter, his arrogance and deceit prove that he is only looking out for himself. He causes problems for anyone who sees through him, including a squirrel named Surly.
As with most of Liam Neeson’s funniest roles, he is the straight man (raccoon) here, and it is his gravitas in his voice that adds a lot of humor later in the film when he finally experiences his downfall.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
Liam Neeson as the History Channel anchor standing in front of his group of reporters holding muskets, a ghost from the Civil War, and a Minotaur in Anchorman 2
Sometimes, it is Liam Neeson’s cameo roles that are often the funniest performances of his movie career. There is a good example that arrived in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. There is a moment in the movie where the news network crew heads out for gang warfare against other networks.
Liam Neeson is part of the History Network crew as he leads his men out, all carrying historical weapons like muskets, and accompanied by a ghost from the Civil War (John C. Reilly) and a minotaur into the battle. It is entirely ridiculous, and that was the purpose, with Neeson’s serious demeanor making it all the more funny.
While this sequel wasn’t up to the level of the original movie, cameos from people like Liam Neeson, Vince Vaughn, Kanye West, and more are one of the best parts of the entire film.
High Spirits (1988)
Liam Neeson as Martin Brogan in High Spirits
Released in 1988 by Neil Jordan, High Spirits is a fantasy comedy movie starring Steve Guttenberg. Peter O’Toole is Peter Plunkett, a man who owns his father’s Castle Plunkett, a dilapidated castle that he turned into a bed and breakfast. Needing money to save the castle, he advertises it as a “haunted castle.”
However, it turns out there is a haunting, with Martin (Liam Neeson) killing his new wife, Mary (DarylHHannah), which repeats over and over in a time loop since the murder initially happened. When Guttenberg’s Jack sees them and interrupts the time loop, he sets the ghosts loose in the real world to comedic effect.
While the movie received negative reviews when released, it was a fun early Liam Neeson performance before anyone really knew who he was.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Liam Neeson in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
In 2018, Liam Neeson starred in another comedy Western, this one a lot funnier and more respected than A Million Ways to Die in the West. That is because the Coen Brothers directed The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, an anthology Western comedy with some big names in the cast.
Neeson stars as an Impresario in the third story in the anthology, “Meal Ticket.” This sees him traveling with his artist, a young man with no arms or legs. The Impresario then performs shows where he theatrically recites classics. This entire short is a joke, and the punchline is as dark as one can imagine.
The Coen Brothers are known for their blackly dark sense of humor, and it is on full display in this short, with Neeson’s overly serious performance making it even darker.
Love Actually (2003)
Liam Neeson sitting next to a child in Love Actually
Love Actually is widely considered one of the most beloved holiday-based romantic comedies of all time. This is despite the movie’s controversial reputation, as time has gone on, for a few parts of its storyline that remain a little polarizing in today’s society. However, one thing that remains strong is the acting.
This is another anthology movie, but all the stories here are tied together with some characters moving in and out of the other stories. Liam Neeson stars as Daniel, a man whose wife has recently died. He also cares for his stepson, who has found a girl that he likes and receives advice from his grieving stepdad.
This is one of the best parts of the movie, and doesn’t really suffer much from the dated romances from other sections. Neeson is great in his role, and while this section had moments of comedy, Neeson was able to play it straight through most of the story.
Ted 2 (2015)
A bloodied Liam Neeson in Ted 2
Liam Neeson re-teamed with Seth MacFarlane for the much better Ted 2 in 2015. This sequel showed Mark Wahlberg’s John trying to help his living teddy bear, Ted, find a sperm donor so Ted and his human wife, Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth), can have a baby. However, one of the funniest moments came with a cameo.
Liam Neeson was not a part of Ted 2’s story, but instead, he shows up at the grocery store where Ted works. At one point in the film, Neeson walks into the store and walks to the counter with a box of Trix cereal and asks seriously if it is really “just for kids.” Ted assures him it is fine, and he is busy with it.
Neeson was clearly playing a version of his character from the Taken movies, and it pays off at the end when he returns to the store, beaten and bloody, and gives Ted a dirty look as he returns the cereal box to the shelves. It was a cameo, but it was Neeson’s funniest performance of his career.
The Naked Gun (2025)
Liam Neeson poses as Frank Drebin Jr in The Naked Gun
The Naked Gun sequel in 2025 was Liam Neeson’s first-ever full-on comedy role in a movie. Neeson had big shoes to fill as he replaced Leslie Nielsen, who himself was a drama movie star before he started a new role as a comedy icon in movies like Airplane! and Naked Gun. In the film, Neeson plays Nielsen’s character’s son.
While Neeson wasn’t anywhere near as funny as Leslie Nielsen, he was still hilarious thanks to his deadpan performance. Nielsen had a similar talent, but Nielsen also had a way of seeming very oblivious, which Neeson has not yet mastered. Instead, Neeson just relied on his overly serious nature while delivering rocket-paced gags.
As with the original Naked Gun movies, there were plenty of cameos with people playing themselves. However, in the end, Liam Neeson proved that he has a career in comedy movies once he finishes his action movie leading man roles.
The LEGO Movie (2014)
Good Cop Bad Cop in The LEGO Movie
The best comedy movie that Liam Neeson has ever appeared in was an animated film that was the surprise hit of 2014. When The LEGO Movie was announced, most people thought it was a shameless cash grab to sell more toys. While it was a cash grab, it was also a great movie, with sharp comedy and a fantastic story.
Emmet is a generic LEGO who learns he is the Chosen One and can free all the other LEGO pieces from a life under the evil Lord Business. However, on top of Lord Business, he has to deal with his right-hand man, Good Cop/Bad Cop. This allowed Neeson to perform both roles and flip personalities when needed.
The LEGO Movie had no right to be as good as it was, but it was not only a smart and funny comedy, but also the start of a franchise that continues to this day on streaming services. It also provided Liam Neeson with one of the best comedic roles of his career.
