As Mr Big in Sex And The City, he was the handsome businessman whose gentlemanly charm made Carrie Bradshaw – and millions of fans – fall in love with him.
But four years ago, actor Chris Noth’s world came crashing down when two anonymous women – using the pseudonyms ‘Zoe’ and ‘Lily’ – made bombshell sexual assault claims against him alleging he attacked them in separate incidents in 2004 and 2015.
Their allegations, in showbiz ‘bible’ The Hollywood Reporter, came after the women were triggered into speaking out after seeing him reprise his Mr Big role in the Sex And The City sequel And Just Like That…
‘Zoe’ claimed the actor assaulted her after the pair spent time in a Jacuzzi and she returned to his flat in West Hollywood.
‘Lily’ alleged her ordeal took place after a night of cocktails in New York when she went to his Greenwich Village flat and he ‘forced’ her to have sex.
Separately, American actress Zoe Lister-Jones, who worked with Noth on the TV show Law & Order, took to Instagram to claim he was a ‘sexual predator’ who was ‘drunk on set’ and was ‘sexually inappropriate’ with a friend of hers at a New York club Noth co-owned called The Plumm.
Noth vehemently denied the claims, issuing a statement saying: ‘The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false. These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago – no always means no – that is a line I did not cross.
‘The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.’
The fall-out was swift and brutal.
Mr Big (he was always referred to as ‘Big’ in the show) was ‘killed off’ with a heart attack and fitness company Peloton dropped him from a multi-million dollar ad campaign.
He was fired from the TV show The Equalizer, dropped by his talent agency and a $12 million deal to sell his tequila brand Ambhar was cancelled. Noth’s Sex And The City co-stars even issued a statement condemning him and supporting his accusers.
Today, four years on, the actor remains in the Hollywood hinterland. No charges were ever filed against him and police in New York and LA this week confirmed there are no investigations ongoing.
Noth has starred in a handful of low-budget independent movies, most recently one called The Block, but remains out in the cold, leading some to question: Has he been fairly treated?
Could Noth, 70, who was accused at the height of the #MeToo movement which brought down Hollywood predators like Harvey Weinstein, be a victim?
Former federal sex crimes prosecutor Bruce Birns, who met him when he was brought in to advise on Law & Order, said: ‘I’ve prosecuted hundreds of sex crimes including statutory rape and gang rape.
‘I believe strongly in a woman’s right to allege both criminal and sexually-inappropriate behaviours. I have a deep understanding of the forces that deter sexual assault victims from pressing charges.
‘The #MeToo movement proved an invaluable asset for empowering women. But an unfortunate by-product of it is that anonymous, uncorroborated claims have been treated as fact-based truths and, in many instances, basic principles of fairness have been denied to the accused.
‘Chris has never been charged with anything. He was never able to defend himself in a court of law. His lawyers could never cross-examine his accusers. His accusers remain cloaked in anonymity while he has been tried in the court of public opinion and has seen his world fall apart.’
The Mail on Sunday has conducted a months-long investigation into the allegations and spoken to long-term professional acquaintances of Noth, friends and co-workers all of whom believe he has been unfairly vilified and ‘cancelled.’
Stanley Hall spent eight years working as his personal hairstylist on Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent in which Noth played the detective Mike Logan in 148 episodes and one movie. Mr Hall said: ‘One of the claims was that he brought beer to the set and was drinking at work.
‘I was up close to him every day for eight years. I’ve never once smelled alcohol on his breath. So I know that is a lie right there. I was there when the person making that accusation was on set. There was no beer.
‘Chris was very famous, very good looking. Women threw themselves at him. He wasn’t a saint. But in eight years of seeing him, day in and day out for 12 hours a day, I never once saw him behave inappropriately towards a woman. Would he flirt? Sure!
‘We would have drinks after work and women were all over him. But when I heard the allegations I didn’t believe them for a second. When you work with someone as closely as we did then you know things about them. I’ve worked with other celebrities who have been handsy or aggressive towards women. But not Chris.’
A woman who was Noth’s personal costume assistant for 14 years (who preferred not to be named) denied he was ever drunk at work. She also believes the accusations against him are false.
She said: ‘There were some people at work who would have a beer at lunch and you’d smell it on them. Chris was a flirt but never once drank on set. He took his work and his status very seriously.
‘I feel genuinely sorry for him because he is someone who had women throwing themselves at him. He isn’t perfect but I never saw him act inappropriately towards any woman, either on set or afterwards, when we’d go for a drink or at crew parties. It seems very unfair to me that Chris can have his life and reputation ruined by anonymous accusations.
‘I told him he should give a big interview but he said he couldn’t win because the story would be twisted. He would have welcomed a day in court but that never came.
‘He was never even questioned by police. When you are a personal costume assistant you’re in someone’s intimate space.
‘What makes me sad is he’s married with two boys and when accusations like that are made against someone it hurts the whole family.
‘Chris is very charming but he’s no Mr Big. He’s like catnip to women. But that doesn’t make him a predator. I’ve been in showbusiness for 33 years and think I’m a pretty good judge of character.
‘He’s unfailingly polite to fans. And, yes, he enjoyed the company of women. But I worked with him for 14 years on multiple sets and never once heard any woman complain about his behaviour.’
Many of those we spoke to remain in touch with Noth who, they say, refuses to see himself as a victim. ‘Chris can get angry and frustrated at the situation but is trying to get on with his life as best he can,’ one associate said.
Noel Ashman co-owned The Plumm, a now-shuttered bar in New York with Mr Noth.
Actress Zoe Lister-Jones worked at the bar doing promotional work and claimed in her Instagram post that Noth had behaved ‘inappropriately’ with a friend of hers there.
Mr Ashman, 55, said: ‘I’ve known Chris since I was 19 and starting out as a club promoter. I was there when Zoe Lister-Jones worked in our club and I know the incident she is referring to.
‘She introduced someone to Chris and he spoke to that woman and hugged her ‘goodbye’ but nothing, absolutely nothing, untoward happened. I like Zoe, she’s a friend of mine. I don’t know why she said what she said.’
Ms Lister-Jones has been approached for comment.
Noth married the actress Tara Wilson in 2012, but has publicly admitted adultery saying it was ‘devastating to her and not a very pretty picture.’ They have two sons Orion, 17, and five-year-old Keats.
Another source said he ‘bitterly, regretted’ the affair. ‘Look, he was an idiot and made bad decisions which a lot of guys do,’ added the source.
‘But this [the unproven claims] not only cost him his career, it nearly cost him his marriage. He bitterly regrets the pain it caused his family.
‘Chris considered taking legal action to clear his name but it would have cost at least $2 million and would have kept these allegations in the news, which would have been agonising for his family.’
Lawyer Alan Dershowitz knows what it’s like to be wrongly accused – with Prince Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, claiming she was trafficked to Dershowitz by the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Dershowitz told the MoS: ‘Every claim by a woman should be thoroughly investigated. For too many years, women were routinely disbelieved.
‘The appropriate remedy for that bigotry is not to routinely believe every woman without investigating their accusations. There have been numerous cases of women making up false stories for money, revenge or other motivations.’
Last night, Kim Masters, who wrote the original Hollywood Reporter article, said: ‘If he (Noth) wanted his day in court, he was welcome to have it.
‘He could have sued over the article but he did not and nor was ever any letter of complaint received. The piece was carefully vetted by legal counsel before publication.’
On Friday an emotional Sarah Jessica Parker announced that the Sex And The City story is ending after 27 years with the finale of the third series of And Just Like That… later this month.
Neither Big nor Chris Noth were mentioned in her statement.
