Steven Seagal, a Hollywood actor and producer, has been accused of sexual harassment by actress Portia de Rossi.

The 44-year-old Australian actress claims that during a private office audition, Seagal unzipped his trousers, began to expose himself in front of her and sexually propositioned her before she fled. Rossi, who is also the wife of US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, wrote on Twitter about the incident, stating:

“He told me how important it was to have chemistry off-screen as he sat me down and unzipped his leather pants. I ran and called my agent.”

The Scream 2 star also said her agent was “unfazed” and replied: “Well, I didn’t know if he was your type”.

These accusations against Seagal come after other actresses, such as Julianna Margulies and Lisa Guerrero, spoke out about their experiences of sexual harassment and intimidation by the actor.

Margulies, who starred in The Good Wife, said that Seagal intimidated her with a gun in a hotel room.

She explained, “I never was raped. And I never was harmed. And I don’t know how I got out of that hotel room… I sort of screamed my way out.”

The actress revealed that she was 23 at the time and found herself alone with Seagal in the hotel room.

He made sure that she saw his gun, which she had never seen before.

Lisa Guerrero, who works for Inside Edition, said that Seagal repeatedly pressured her to audition alone with him at his home for a role in the 1997 movie Fire Down Below.

Guerrero claims that Seagal made her perform in front of him as he sat on a throne in a silk robe.

Her manager later told her that Seagal wanted to offer her the lead in the film, but she would need to return to his home that night for another private audition.

She declined, and the role went to another actress.

Seagal has faced accusations of sexual harassment in the past.

A decade ago, former Playboy model Jenny McCarthy claimed that he propositioned her.

Seagal denied these claims, and his manager said that the actor had no comment to make on the recent allegations.

De Rossi’s allegations come amid the ongoing #MeToo movement, which has seen women from all walks of life coming forward to share their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse.

Seagal is the latest in a long line of high-profile men who have been accused of misconduct, including film producer Harvey Weinstein, comedian Bill Cosby and US senator Al Franken.

Following the allegations, DeGeneres tweeted in support of her wife, stating: “I’m proud of my wife”.

The talk show host has been a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement, and has previously used her show to speak out against sexual harassment and abuse.

Seagal has a controversial reputation in Hollywood, with some critics accusing him of promoting violence and perpetuating negative stereotypes about other cultures.

He has also been linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has faced criticism for his support of Russia’s actions in Ukraine.