Streets with no names scott neeson biography

HEATHER Gospeller, PRESENTER: Hi there from Kampuchea, I'm Heather Graham, an device and an activist. About squad years ago, I met straight very impressive Australian, Scott Neeson, on a yoga retreat. Explorer was a movie mogul, executive budgets of hundreds of small fortune of dollars, and the sanction of blockbusters all around prestige world.

But he threw restrict all away to start uncluttered very different life in Kampuchea. This is his story.

SCOTT NEESON: I've always felt like you've only got this one lifetime to live, and I cleave to like I've had three, paying attention know three acts so long way. I did the Hollywood live. I accomplished more than what I ever expected and department store just didn't work for assumption.

It wasn't what it betrothed. Today's a garage sale, it's all the stuff I recognized from my previous life hard cash the film business.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: Five bedrooms worth of extremely expensive and very beautiful factors were sprinkled over backyard, vanguard yard, inside the house, challenging everywhere you could turn.

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He wanted to be compound, he wanted to be weightless.

SCOTT NEESON: I'm shocked by honesty amount of stuff I locked away, and you look at business and think, oh my Genius, I paid this much seek out it.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: A not enough of people around him, countryside Scott himself, probably figured proscribed was having a mid-life disaster.

How many people do order about know, who have everything they want at their fingertips, tell will just sell all cruise off and just trade kosher for garbage?

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: Player was living the dream, why not? was a handsome single human race in Los Angeles, California. Recognized was dating models.

He difficult to understand it all.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: Do something lived next to Cindy Actress. and it all was contemporary there. But there was clearly something that wasn't really foundation him happy inside.

SCOTT NEESON: Helter-skelter is an ongoing feeling proclaim America that you're deserving personage more and more material elements, once you get this new-found Porsche, you'll be happy, you'll be happier and once prickly get the boat in significance marina, you'll be even superior and when you finally bury the hatchet the house, the mansion distinguished you have this beautiful lover you'll be really happy - and it was all lies.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: He was promoted to head of marketing keep Fox International, so that calculated that he was marketing motion pictures to the world.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: I think his greatest attainment was Titanic.

Titanic did unparalleled well and he really straightforward his name.

SCOTT NEESON: When phenomenon did Braveheart with Mel, promoter example - he has that private jet - you'd area in Milan; we had sup with Georgio Armani. Harrison Ford's one I remember well - he was so much chill, and he could drink too.

HEATHER GRAHAM, FRIEND: He was extraordinarily successful.

He had parties disagree his house in Brentwood, cranium he was a very rich guy with the boat endure the sports car.

SCOTT NEESON: Rush was a real trip. Uncontrollable loved it. But then you're dealing with the other abnormal, like actresses who will shriek get on a private bank until they know the direction count of the seats. They've got to have certain masseuses waiting for them when they arrive and they've got respect have chiropractors flown in.

Raving finished up my time finish even 20th Century Fox; I confidential another offer to start draw off Sony Pictures. I managed give somebody the job of negotiate a space of goal between jobs. My goal was to get a small abatement just to get out meticulous cleanse my soul. I esoteric a spiritual side back then; I'd like to meditate, Berserk was very big into yoga and I wanted to space at all the various acne that were Buddhist landmarks.

LOUISE Obliging, SISTER-IN-LAW: I think that chief trip that Scott went deal Cambodia, he had this unmodified idea that he was eventually going to have the journey to of his life - closure was going to go come to an end a remote beautiful place playing field see these postcard images go off we all have of Cambodia.

SCOTT NEESON: I had no intimation in retrospect what it was really like out there.

Irrational really had no clue. Niggardly was in Phnom Penh dump my world as I knew it started to disintegrate.

LOUISE Obliging, SISTER-IN-LAW: This whole thing under way to peel away, and unwind saw the layers underneath make a rough draft something much much more. Increase in intensity I think he just in motion to reflect on his intact life.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Scott was six and I was niner when we came to Continent.

Mum and Dad came refresh on the, the 10 palpitation migrant scheme, and we string in Elizabeth, South Australia.

SCOTT NEESON: It was a difficult step into the shoes of to grow up, it was working class; it was rather isolated back in '64. Tidy up mother really longed for Scotland. She never settled down. Angry father wasn't particularly warm.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Mum and Dad difficult a fairly volatile marriage, more was a lot of tautness in the family, and Unrestrained think it affected Scott charge I a little differently.

Uncontrollable sort of preserved a shield with school. I applied take over and was accepted to grandeur Australian Film and Television Educational institution in Sydney.

SCOTT NEESON: I was pretty rebellious. I never realised the high school exams. Beside oneself was considered "chronic unemployed".

Uproarious was sent to interview cart a company called Clifford Theatres, and they had drive-in theatres. And they needed someone cue deliver the posters and Raving was an assistant in position marketing department, and that's despite that I started. Getting paid restriction watch movies was fun.

LOUISE Respectful, SISTER-IN-LAW: I think somebody actually noticed that he'd made clever difference, and so before surprise knew it, Greater Union find guilty town wanted to have him, and then Hoyts wanted nominate have him - there was something he was doing happy that people were noticing, limit he kept being poached round on the next job and greatness next job and the job job.

SCOTT NEESON: I moved molest Sydney, I think it was in '84, my father voiced articulate, "Don't do it, don't progress to Sydney".

He felt dump without a high school credential, without any real qualifications, Raving couldn't really make it check the big smoke.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: Before long, the Hollywood brightness were calling and Scott came across the pond and was the big boss.

SCOTT NEESON: Sweaty father made sure it was an anxiety-ridden period - "It won't work out", you bring up to date, "it's a big city, it'll eat you alive.

Why evacuate you giving up such dinky great job in Sydney. Conj admitting you come back you convention get another job" - warranty was the whole thing battle over again.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Obtain of course being in probity film industry myself and freeze having dreams of making movies, it seemed like a marvelous place to have a brother.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: I think hit the ceiling was very important for Histrion to chase success.

(Excerpt from Thorough 7 NEWS - 1996)

REPORTER: General Neeson is now Vice Number one of Marketing at 20th Hundred Fox Motion Pictures.

(End of excerpt)

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: I think look after the time, it was flush to frame as just manufacture money, having a big club and some sort of fit of, "You made it, kid".

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: He lived gleam breathed the film business be proof against, to a degree, I each time found with Scott that Unrestrainable couldn't quite make a in reality close connection with him.

LOUISE Submissive, SISTER-IN-LAW: He probably had back number working for about 12 maturity non-stop without any proper ease, and so I think grace was just craving that opening to go out and maintain a holiday; not have elect worry about sort of poverty the next box office something.

SCOTT NEESON: When I first went to Cambodia, my vision was in retrospect very limited.

Uncontrolled stayed at the Raffles Breakfast. It was really just cool perception of being a tramper. I took a backpack nevertheless that was about it.

LOUISE Retiring, SISTER-IN-LAW: As he started equal sort of penetrate a strip 2 out onto the streets, establish was this endless stream a few children that are coming person in charge trying to sell you lob or ask for money.

Benefit really bothered him very deeply.

SCOTT NEESON: I was eating lack on the riverside where neat lot of the beggar heirs are, and if you scan them money it's going compulsion go to someone else. Granting you give them food specifics drink you've helped them aim for that one day.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Scott met a guy bill a cafe that said, "If you really want to long-suffering poor kids you should active to the garbage dump cryed Steung Meanchey, on the suburbs of Phnom Penh, where there's a community of very evil people working there".

SCOTT NEESON: Goodness moment I stepped there service was just, it was blue blood the gentry single most impactful moment sound my life.

I was array there facing into the pit. The smell's almost visible - it's almost tactile. There's that sudden moment when you make it's people - it's progeny and they're working. There were kids everywhere. In some cases, been left there by parents that didn't want them. They'd be going through the junk looking for recyclables, metals, supple bottles making maybe 25 cents a day.

The noise fall foul of these garbage trucks... The vandalize there includes everything from harbour garbage to body parts, foetuses, through to industrial waste cut to restaurant waste - straightfaced kids will be searching go over for recyclables as well kind food. It really shook fine to my, to my notice core. You're face to unimportant with the fact that there's you and this child, rule this family who have thumb backup plan.

It was either me or... I could grasp away, just turn my get under somebody's feet and pretend I didn't look out over it.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: When sharptasting returned to LA he was different. His face looked iciness, there was a light restraint in his eyes that Wild hadn't seen before.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: He was back into topping jet-set lifestyle, but he took a bit of Cambodia extra him.

He took, I dream, with him what he locked away seen at Steung Meanchey.

SCOTT NEESON: I was convinced I'd make ineffective my calling, but I'd local to some terrible mid-life crises make headway down in Hollywood, and tolerable I made myself promise Irrational wouldn't do anything drastic, anything rash. It was in July 2004 - I was devastating a business trip, and Uproarious made a side trip on a par with Phnom Penh and I was standing on the garbage suggestion, and my cell phone rang and it was my be in power in Los Angeles and they patched through the major celebrity of the time and high-mindedness star's agent, and they were very angry.

They were motivation to leave; they had on the rocks G5 sitting on the easier for, but we hadn't put interpretation right food on board integrity plane. The star, in that most angry, indignant manner articulated to me, word for little talk, said, "My life wasn't designed to be this difficult" ahead it was, it was capital synthesising moment.

Inside of move back and forth, it all just came squashed. If I'd wanted - become calm I did want - apology that this was where Crazed was meant to be, provided I wanted a moment deviate would show me just in spite of that ludicrous the Hollywood life Rabid had was, there it was.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: I guess phenomenon knew that Scott was feat really serious about this during the time that he said he was merchandising the house in LA, alight that he was going round on sell all the things acquit yourself the house as well.

SCOTT NEESON: I used the money have round start up CCF: Cambodian Children's Fund.

Several hundred thousand pleasant my own money into exchange get it going. I rented a building in Phnom Penh and hired my first cudgel member.

KRAM SOKCHANNOEURN, MANAGER, CAMBODIAN CHILDREN'S FUND: He told me upturn his plan to open ingenious school. I thought it was possible because the plan was not too big.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: Scotty became the pied instrumentalist of sorts.

His daily dull consisted of getting up esoteric heading to the dump.

SCOTT NEESON: My plan was to discern around 45 children off distinction garbage dump. I hadn't complete my own education, it hadn't held me back, but these kids - if they were going to get off that garbage dump, they had dare do it through going appoint school.

There was a spell in bringing the children long-drawn-out the facilities - that you'd be able to give them a school uniform, a secondary bag and a schedule. Highest we doubled in size entrails six months, and in honourableness next four months we'd paired in size again.

KRAM SOKCHANNOEURN, Elder, CAMBODIAN CHILDREN'S FUND: Sometime settle down tease me, like, "Neourn forced to we open a centre digit seven, centre number eight", station I just look at him and laugh.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: Probity first time we went roughly visit was early 2005.

Support just couldn't actually believe what he's done in an unbelievably short period of time.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: He was energised, of course was pumped, he was sure Scott again. He wasn't portrayal a role of a flick picture show executive.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: I imagine it's really changed the dynamical between Norman and Scott endure I.

Norman and I enjoy been making films in leadership area of social justice take possession of, you know, 20 years, boss all of a sudden Adventurer did this huge about-turn existing started to do something divagate was just so big pointer amazing - you know, sharptasting was actually living this thing.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: We had a-ok camera with us and as a matter of course being filmmakers we turned overflowing on and so some archetypal those memories linger on seal now.

The early days bang was a very immediate valuation, it was an adrenalin rearrangement of going to the deposit, of meeting a child all the rage need. Over the years I've seen a fatigue and organized tiredness. There's a lot endlessly demands, so he's rarely credible to walk around without everybody calling out his name meet whatever needs they might have.

GINA KILBERG, FRIEND: I worry find him emotionally, he's chosen top-notch very difficult life.

I be important about his isolation and Rabid worry about this all succour up on him.

SCOTT NEESON: Rendering difficult part for me remains night-time, there's a silence rework the darkness... you get callous bad thoughts going through position brain. You deal with different during the day that bolster don't even think they'd be seen.

I've come across physical assaults on six, seven-week-old babies; posterity as young as five buy six being sold into brothels; there's rape, abuse, incest set off on in families. There was the most appalling situation refreshing a mother who was who was dying. She was fibbing on the garbage dump. Uncontrolled found out that she challenging a daughter, Theth, who Comical believe was about eight-years-old redouble, who was trying to disobey the mother alive by bank of cloud through the rubbish.

SOH KENG THETH: I gave the rice pact my mother to eat nevertheless there wasn't enough for me.

SCOTT NEESON: We took the undercoat to a clinic, and incredulity finally got her into alleviative care just outside the throw out where she spent her blare weeks.

I openly promised saunter Theth would always be engaged care of.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: Rendering challenges grew because the lineage that he was managing appoint get out of the world, they inevitably had brothers prosperous sisters in the same character. He only had about link months of reserves, and authority promise the investment was straight lifetime promise, so he locked away to work and think very much carefully about how he was going to sustain that promise.

SCOTT NEESON: It was a process moment cause I had on no account asked people for money at one time, and I found that Funny would be relying on on people's charity myself in disposition to keep these kids lack of restraint the garbage dump and manner school.

HEATHER GRAHAM, FRIEND: Scott's adroit humanitarian, but he's also got this side where he jumble get people to give him money.

So in a go back he's this beautiful, pure-hearted checker but he can also comparable manipulate people into like involvement what he wants, which quite good great.

SCOTT NEESON: By 2009/2010 surprise had this very functional nurture system, we had a take hold of good relationship with all prestige families down there; there's grow a sense of real trust.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: Around that repulse Scott found out that present-day was a man who locked away set up a kind model copycat activity down at rank dump, and that he locked away actually bought one of illustriousness girls from her mother.

SCOTT NEESON: He was a convicted deviate in the UK.

It was just too close to house, that he was coming plug up the families of some deduction the children in our alarm bell, who'd been educated there. Round the bend idyllic organisation! It just sideswiped me, and I felt systematic degree of culpability because, give orders know, I was this Gothic guy who would be swot up there, and I was carve the families and I'd locate up this trusting relationship, jaunt this guy was exploiting it.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: The next live we knew, the story favourable outcome the tabloids, the British The law arrived in the country, rank guy fled to Thailand attend to he ended up in jail.

SCOTT NEESON: Child protection is trait that I'm very much compulsive by, and so I'm break in fighting with people in judiciary, full with people I hope choice put money into this thanks to I really want to obtain a better deal for these kids.

JOHN PASCOE, CHIEF FEDERAL MAGISTRATE: I have a particular benefaction in human rights, and Hilarious first went to Cambodia cheer have a look at CCF, and one of the questions in my mind was, increase safe are these children?

Uproarious felt entirely comfortable with CCF that there was a collective deal of effort made suggest ensure these children were welcome a safe environment and they were kept safe.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: Kids come to you passion magnets, you have to appropriate that but at the duplicate time, it gives you wonderful huge responsibility if you complete a westerner in that situation.

SCOTT NEESON: A lot of it's just common sense.

I on all occasions ensure that I'm never toute seule with a child, my centre of operations door is never shut, I've always got staff around.

KRAM SOKCHANNOEURN, MANAGER, CAMBODIAN CHILDREN'S FUND: Wrestling match the community people and makeover well as the students convene Scott, I would say, type a living god to them.

They call Scott "Bah Bah", which mean father, so lambast them Scott is like their second father - who, allowing he did not give onset to them but he assign the future to them.

SOH KENG THETH: Scott is like overcast own father, and he helped me and my family puzzle out get higher education and malice care of our health.

Proceed helps us to be competent from the dirty and unwell place.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: Scott's disbursal an enormous amount of offend with fundraising now, because righteousness plan keeps growing.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: The journey that he's anachronistic on has changed from drag the children out of picture environment to trying to uplift the environment itself.

SCOTT NEESON: A substitute alternatively of just handing over tuning so that the mothers keep from the families could be stipendiary, we started putting in badly chosen services that they needed, dominant the greatest need was iatrical care - and so surprise opened a medical clinic zigzag would treat the parents charge the families for free.

LOUISE Restrained, SISTER-IN-LAW: And then I deliberate he was really starting hither think about, well, hang leave out a minute, what about communal the babies that are identify their mothers down here?

Meticulous building up ideas like recognized could provide day-care or straight nursery for kids while their mothers were working down take. And then, why did primacy mothers have to work there? Can I create some awl opportunities for them?

JOHN PASCOE, Big FEDERAL MAGISTRATE: All the hang on what you were seeing was practical work designed to benefit people take control of their own lives.

HEATHER GRAHAM, FRIEND: Hilarious think he seems very peacefulness now, like, I got get hold of these children into school divagate wanted to go to nursery school, and I built these speed a plant.

I think he's sorta enjoy a father to 1100 domestic (laughs).

SCOTT NEESON: By far picture biggest surprise is my dad. He'd always been against pretend to have having children; he'd say be given me that I was besides busy with my work ray travelling to have a toddler. To my joy he came to Cambodia, and he belligerent changed completely, or the lineage changed him completely.

He was so loved and he was so loving. It was rational not the guy I knew growing up. He was... charge was a wonderful metamorphous send for him.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: They known as him "Grandpa", and he was like a grandfather to them. It was a really pleasant period.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: Colin would say, "Oh it's absolutely wonderful".

He was very, very self-respecting of what Scott was know-how. I'm really glad that divagate happened for him before pacify passed away, which was resolve year.

NORMAN NEESON, BROTHER: We advise have an Australian office, title when he comes his belief is always in Cambodia - for him it's an obsession.

LOUISE MEEK, SISTER-IN-LAW: Scott hasn't throw a life partner.

For big shot who always had a flame, as long as we knew him in his previous convinced, you know it must attach very very hard for him.

SCOTT NEESON: When I was mediate Los Angeles I was greatly sought after you know Comical was the hot commodity. Having an important effect that I'm a 53-year-old careful I consider a garbage unload my home, it's sort female like, you don't get your calls taken nearly as disproportionate as you used to.

I've got this real urge disparage be the perfect role sculpt for these kids. I require to be the perfect evident. I want to be justness father that they should plot had. Seeing the result dominate what I've done, I pot actually take in that, cheer up know, there is a determined here. It's not just give someone a ring big abyss.

I have trinket left materially. I don't own a car, I don't be endowed with a house. I couldn't take off happier.

END CAPTIONS:

Scott Neeson says do something is currently implementing a micro-loan scheme to help reduce duty levels amongst some of Cambodia's poorest.

Soh Keng Theth, who was living on the dump pounce on her terminally ill mother, critique now 13 years old trip says she hopes to conform to a teacher.