Ozark star Laura Linney watches in horror after NYFW event when crazed fan punches assistant in the head after being denied an autograph

• Onlookers screamed in horror as the attack took place outside the Pierre Hotel on the Upper East Side
• Fans were milling around the Ozark star as she waited on the sidewalk with little protection 
• The star had been enjoying one of the highlights of New York Fashion Week alongside Janet Jackson, Alicia Silverstone and Sarah Hyland   

Horrified onlookers saw a crazed fan of Ozark star Laura Linney whack her young assistant in the head as she emerged from a show at New York Fashion Week.

The actress had enjoyed a front row seat at the Christian Siriano Fashion Show alongside Janet Jackson and Alicia Silverstone at the Pierre Hotel on the Upper East Side.

But things turned nasty as she waited outside among milling crowds afterwards for a car to pick her up.

A heavily-built fan with an autograph book tried to push past her assistant and reacted furiously when he could not reach the star, punching him in the back of the head before stalking off.

‘Oh my God!’ screamed one onlooker, ‘I have never seen anything like that.’

Never seen anything like this before! Today at outside the Christian Siriano NYFW event. That’s a professional autographers getting out of control once he was denied! Not okay! And look how quickly everyone went back to normal right after!!

The heavily-built fan punches the star’s assistant in the back of the head after failing to get an autograph  

The star comforts her assistant after he was attacked by her crazed fan outside the NYFW event at the Pierre Hotel in New York’s Upper East Side 

The moment was captured by TikToker mickmicknyc who captioned it ‘why celebrities need bodyguards!’

The four-time Emmy winner already looked nervous as she emerged from the show and glanced anxiously up and down the street.

‘It’s like chaos here, don’t worry we’ll figure it out,’ someone assures her.

The crazed fan is then seeing approaching from behind and poking her in the back with his pen, prompting the assistant to say ‘Hey hey! No, don’t do that’.

‘Don’t f***ing touch me’, the man responds, before lashing out at the slightly built assistant.

‘Are you alright?’ The Big C actress asks him as she lays her hand on his shoulder and the attacker storms off back towards the hotel.

‘Alright, I’m fine,’ he assures her and smiles as he shepherds her to the by now arrived car.

The 59-year-old actress looked happy and relaxed as she attended the 50th Telluride Film Festival alongside Dakota Johnson in Telluride, Colorado, earlier this month.

It was all smiles as the star emerged from the event seconds before the attack

The Big C star had a front row seat at the event alongside Janet Jackson, Alicia Silverstone and Rosie Perez 

Designer Christian Siriano at his show alongside celebrity fans Sarah Hyland, Rosie Perez, Alicia Silverstone and Laura Linney

Last year she said she was ‘quietly stunned’ when she was honored with a star on Hollywood’s walk of fame.

‘To have my name held and protected by a star on this famous stretch of sidewalk is beyond my wildest dreams,’ she added.

But that event too was disrupted by shouts from an onlooker on nearby Hollywood Boulevard which prompted the star to repeatedly stop her acceptance speech and inquire about his welfare. 

‘It’s a difficult world we’re living in these days, things like this are intersecting everywhere,’ she remarked.

‘If this is Laura Linney Day I hope that we can all keep a little compassion in our hearts and educate ourselves about the needs of others and mental illness and addiction and everything that is being put in front of us.’

Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy said, ‘I’ve never met anyone, truly, in work or life that elevates the people around her more than Laura does.

‘With generosity, and dedication, but more importantly with friendships. Everyone’s life is better for having Laura in it.

He added, ‘I know people who use her as a compass for the right way to behave, and to be that for such a diverse group of people is just phenomenal.’

Earlier this year the three-time Oscar nominee appeared in the Hulu documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, recounting her childhood friendship with the Blue Lagoon actress.

Linney recounted many situations where she and Brooke would be playing at home alone, when Shields’ mother Teri would come home drunk. 

She said Brooke always sprang into action and knew how to avoid conflict.

‘I would follow her lead, she would know what to do, how to do it, how to protect herself, what room to go into, what doors to lock,’ Linney said.

‘We could both hear the keys would rattle, we would go to a room, we would make sure we were safe, Teri would come home very drunk and then we would wait until it got quiet, and then we would come out.’

Linney said she understood the complicated situation Brooke found herself in, being frightened of who her mother could be but loving her all the while.

‘You want to protect the people you love even if they’re deeply flawed and damaged and damaging,’ Linney said.

The attack on her assistant has been seen more than 1.3million times and many viewers were horrified at the vulnerability of celebrities at the event.

‘I’ve seen this guy so many times,’ wrote Lauren Chavez, ‘My office is across from rock center and he’s always waiting for the celebs to exit today show.’

 Linney with co-stars Dakota Johnson, Ethan Hawke and his daughter Maya at the Telluride Film Festival

Linney beamed with joy when she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but that event too was disrupted

Laura Linney recalled the drunken rages of Brooke Shields’ mother in the new documentary

‘That man is a red flag big time!!’ wrote Lauren.

‘Show that to the police they should be charged with assault.’

‘At this point bodyguards needs bodyguards to protect them from a******s like this one,’ added another.

The NYPD said it had not received a report about the incident.

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