An OBE for a friend of Obi-Wan

LONDON — Actor Liam Neeson went to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday to receive an OBE (Order of the British Empire) award from Queen Elizabeth for his stage and film career.

Neeson, 50, the Northern Irish-born star of “Schindler’s List,” “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” and “Darkman,” told reporters after the ceremony: “I’ve not been so nervous since I met Muhammad Ali. I really was weak-kneed.”