Dustin Hoffman apologises after sexual harassment allegations

Hollywood veteran Dustin Hoffman has apologised over turbulent allegations that he sexually harassed a 17-year-old intern three decades ago.

Writer Anna Graham Hunter claims the Oscar-winning actor grabbed her 'a**' and used indecent language around her on the set of 1985 TV film 'Death of a Salesman', according to The Telegraph.

Hoffman since released a statement and apologised for making Hunter feel uncomfortable with his behaviour.

He said, "I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am."

In an op-ed written for a leading U.S. publication, Hunter said that Hoffman asked "me to give him a foot massage my first day on set".

"He asked me to give him a foot massage my first day on set; I did. He was openly flirtatious, he grabbed my a**, he talked about sex to me and in front of me," she said.

Hunter claimed that the alleged harassment occurred over a five-week period. She was a high-school senior at the time.

Hunter's diary excerpts reveal how, at times, the behaviour made her feel scared and repulsed on set. She said it took her years to come to terms with what happened.

"At 49, I understand what Dustin Hoffman did as it fits into the larger pattern of what women experience in Hollywood and everywhere. He was a predator, I was a child, and this was sexual harassment. As to how it fits into my own pattern, I imagine I'll be figuring that out for years to come," noted Hunter.

The latest claims come after a string of allegations of sexual harassment and assault within Hollywood against producer Harvey Weinstein, film maker James Toback, actor Kevin Spacey and producer Brett Ratner.