Liam Neeson, 74, Holds Hands with a Certain Brunette on the Toronto Film Festival Red Carpet — Photos

Liam Neeson made a striking red carpet appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival, where one small gesture with a brunette companion quickly drew attention. Their history together, however, goes back further than Saturday night's premiere.

The 74-year-old actor arrived at the "Evil Genius" premiere in Toronto on September 12 with a familiar face beside him. Before long, photographs from the event had people asking questions about the pair.

The timing added another layer to the appearance. Just over a year earlier, Neeson had been linked to Pamela Anderson, and she later confirmed there had been more to their connection than playful promotion.

A Hand-Holding Moment in Toronto

Neeson attended the "Evil Genius" premiere at Roy Thomson Hall during the 51st Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday. The "Taken" actor kept his red carpet outfit understated. He wore a black blazer over a black T-shirt, paired with jeans and brown dress shoes.

The brunette accompanying him also chose black, wearing a cowl-neck dress with her hair styled up. As they posed for photographers, the two held hands and smiled together on the red carpet. The woman beside Neeson was actress Stella Stocker, a co-star with whom he has worked more than once.

The appearance soon prompted speculation online, but neither the photographs nor the information provided from the event establishes that Neeson and Stocker are romantically involved. What is clear is that their professional connection is not new.

Neeson and Stocker Have Worked Together Before

Stocker and Neeson are co-stars in the forthcoming action thriller "The Mongoose," which is scheduled for release on October 30, according to Page Six. That is not their first project together. They both appeared in the 2022 Martin Campbell-directed thriller "Memory."

Stocker played Maya, a woman who has a one-night stand with Neeson's character, Alex Lewis. The actress and Neeson also worked on Neil Jordan's 2022 crime thriller "Marlowe." Her other screen work extends well beyond her projects with Neeson.

According to IMDb, Stocker is known for "Memory," "The Batman," and the 2025 film "Cleaner." Her official website lists her as a professional actress and voice-over artist based in London. She is bilingual in English and German and speaks conversational French.

Stocker grew up in Germany, France, and the Congo and later trained as an actress in both the United Kingdom and the United States. She earned a BA in drama from the University of Hull and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York City.

She also received acting training from Margaret Ashburn, a Guildhall examiner in the U.K. She is 5 feet 6 inches tall, with brown hair and gray eyes. Her listed skills include singing as a mezzo-soprano, piano, guitar, ballet, jazz, modern dance, tap, tennis, swimming, climbing, stage fighting, skiing, and horseback riding.

She also lists krav maga and judo among her skills and notes that she has a driver's license and is very good with children. Her website describes "infectious laughter" as another attribute. Her film credits include Hilda in "Marlowe," Maya in "Memory," and Martha Wayne in "The Batman."

She also played Lady Guinevere in "Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot," Greta Garbo in "Blithe Spirit," Frau Schröder in "The Good Liar," a stage manager in "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation," and the Widow in "Fury."

On television, Stocker has played Audrey Hepburn in "Archie" and Robyn Romano in "The Chelsea Detective." Her stage credits include Laura Starling in "The Man of Shadows," Eve in "The Harvest Chamber," and Marguerite in "Camino Real."

Stocker has also appeared in commercial work for Peugeot, IWC, Kinder Joy, IKEA, HP, and Edeka. She starred in the music video for Jamie Lawson's "Wasn't Expecting That." Her age is not publicly listed. Parade reported that her agency lists her playing age as between 35 and 45.

The Photos Set Off Questions

With Neeson and Stocker holding hands, social media users quickly began discussing what the photographs might mean. Some comments focused on their apparent age difference. One person simply asked, "Father-daughter?" while another wrote, "He looks like her dad ..."

A Facebook commenter similarly remarked, "Young enough to be his daughter." Others interpreted the pictures differently. One person wrote, "They look really good together. She's gorgeous." Another observer focused on a detail in Stocker's appearance, writing, "She's wearing a wedding ring.."

Some commenters questioned the pair's chemistry. One reaction read, "Zero chemistry" while another declared, "He likes brunettes." But several of the most notable reactions had little to do with Stocker herself. Instead, people immediately brought up another actress who had recently been linked to Neeson.

"Was he not going out with Pamela andersen ?" one Instagram user asked. Another wrote, "What happened to Pamela Anderson?" A third had the same question: "Wasn't he dating Pamela Anderson?"

Those questions trace back to a story that began on another movie set and eventually became more than red carpet speculation.

Pamela Anderson and Neeson Had a Brief Romance

Neeson and Anderson worked together on the 2025 reboot of "The Naked Gun," with Neeson playing Frank Drebin Jr. and Anderson appearing opposite him as a femme fatale. Their public comments about each other attracted attention even before the movie reached theaters.

In an October 2024 interview with People, Neeson said he was "madly in love with her" while praising Anderson as a colleague. He described her as funny, easy to work with, and without a huge ego. Anderson, in turn, called Neeson "the perfect gentleman" and said he worked with respect, kindness, and the depth that came with his experience.

She also said Neeson looked after her on set, including wrapping his coat around her when she was cold. Anderson reciprocated by making bread and cookies and leaving them in his dressing room. The comments stood out because Neeson had made a very different statement about his personal life around the same time.

When People asked him whether he dated, the then-72-year-old gave an unambiguous response: "No, in a word. I'm past all that." By the following summer, however, his connection with Anderson was making headlines.

Their Red Carpet Appearances Fueled the Story

On July 22, 2025, Anderson kissed Neeson on the cheek while they attended the London premiere of "The Naked Gun." Six days later, they attended the movie's New York premiere and brought their respective sons along for a group photograph.

Anderson shares sons Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee with her former husband Tommy Lee. Neeson attended with his sons, Micheál and Daniel, whom he shared with his late wife, Natasha Richardson.

The following morning, July 29, Neeson and Anderson appeared together on the "Today" show. During the live television appearance, they staged a comic moment in which they pretended to be caught making out.

That same day, People reported that the co-stars had struck up a romance after making "The Naked Gun." A source close to the movie described it as "a budding romance in the early stages" and said it was sincere.

The source also said the pair were smitten and enjoying each other's company as they promoted the comedy ahead of its August 1 release. Months later, Anderson provided her own account of what had happened between them.

Anderson Later Explained What Happened

In December 2025, Anderson confirmed to People that she and Neeson had been romantically involved for a short period. Crucially, she said their relationship began only after filming had finished.

Anderson recalled spending what she described as an "intimate week" at Neeson's home in upstate New York. She had her own room, their assistants were there, and family members also stopped by. The two went to dinner at a small French restaurant during the visit.

According to Anderson, Neeson introduced her there as the "future Mrs. Neeson." They also spent time in his garden. Anderson said she worked on a rosebush that had become overgrown with mint and was happy to help.

The visit even included an unusual encounter with wildlife. Anderson recalled Neeson chasing a bear away from the breakfast window while wearing his bathrobe. After the week together, both went away to work on other films.

They later reunited for the promotional campaign surrounding "The Naked Gun." Anderson rejected suggestions that their closeness had simply been manufactured to promote the movie. She said they had been having fun and described the experience as "a little bit like a Nancy Meyers film."

She was also clear that the feelings had been genuine, even though the romantic part of the relationship did not continue. "I adore Liam," Anderson said, adding that they were better as friends.

She said Neeson remained supportive of the new direction of her career and told her he was proud of her. Anderson also said she believed they would always remain in each other's lives.

That history helps explain why some viewers immediately mentioned Anderson after seeing Neeson holding hands with Stocker in Toronto. The social media questions arrived against the backdrop of a romance Anderson herself had already confirmed — and already described as having become a friendship.

Neeson's Personal History

Long before either Anderson or Stocker entered this chapter of Neeson's public life, the actor was married to Natasha Richardson. Neeson and Richardson married in 1994 and remained together until her death at age 45 in 2009. They had two sons, Micheál and Daniel.

The couple had met while working together in a Broadway revival of "Anna Christie." Before Richardson, Neeson's past relationships included Helen Mirren, his co-star in the 1981 movie "Excalibur," as well as Barbra Streisand and Brooke Shields.

More than a year after Richardson's death, Neeson began dating U.K.-based public relations executive Freya St. Johnston. Their relationship lasted two years. Neeson has spoken publicly about Richardson's death and the circumstances surrounding it.

In a 2014 interview with CBS News, he remembered the powerful chemistry he experienced with Richardson when they worked together. Richardson, the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave, continued acting while raising Micheál and Daniel Neeson.

The boys were 13 and 12 when their mother died. In March 2009, Richardson was on a ski trip in Quebec, Canada, with Micheál when she fell on a beginner's slope at Mont Tremblant and hit her head. She was not wearing a helmet.

An ambulance was called, but Richardson reportedly declined medical attention. Her ski instructor and a ski patrol member escorted her to her hotel room. Neeson was filming in Toronto when Richardson called him after the fall.

He recalled her telling him, "Oh, darling. I've taken a tumble in the snow." Richardson was experiencing what doctors call a lucid interval, when a person with a traumatic brain injury can initially appear normal even as blood builds inside the skull and creates potentially fatal pressure.

A second ambulance was later called. Richardson reached a local hospital more than three hours after the fall, and Neeson's assistant contacted him and told him he needed to get there immediately. Neeson flew to Quebec.

While he was in the air, his flight was diverted to Montreal because Richardson was being transferred to a larger hospital there. After arriving, he took a taxi to the hospital. A doctor showed him her X-ray, and Neeson said the seriousness of her injury was apparent.

He was told Richardson was brain-dead and being kept on life support. Neeson also revealed that he and Richardson had previously made a pact that if either entered a vegetative state, life support would be withdrawn.

He went to her bedside, told her he loved her, and told her that she was not coming back from the injury. The family then brought her back to New York so relatives and friends could gather. Richardson donated her heart, kidneys, and liver, helping three people.

Neeson said he believed she would have been pleased by the decision. He also described how grief continued after her death. In the first years afterward, hearing the door open at their New York home could make him think he was about to hear Richardson arrive and call out as she once had.

Neeson returned to work only days after Richardson's funeral and continued working steadily. He explained that being without work left him dwelling too much on his loss and that he did not want his sons to see him consumed by sadness. His career has remained prolific in the years since.

And now, 17 years after Richardson's death, another Toronto appearance has placed Neeson's personal life under a spotlight — although this time, the photographs themselves tell only a limited story.