Morgan Freeman, the famous US film star, has apologised after eight women and several other people accused him of s**ual misconduct.

One production assistant claimed that Freeman had harassed her for months while the two worked on the bank robbery comedy, Going in Style.

She alleged that Freeman repeatedly touched her, tried to lift her skirt and asked if she was wearing underwear.

Freeman has since issued an apology to “anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected” by his actions.

“Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy,” Freeman stated in a release.

“Making women feel uncomfortable was ‘never my intent’.” Freeman is the latest high-profile figure from Hollywood to be accused of s**ual misconduct since the allegations against Harvey Weinstein led to the #MeToo campaign against harassment.

Eight women have made claims against Freeman, according to CNN.

The production assistant’s accusations were supported by another actor, Alan Arkin, who reportedly told Freeman to stop harassing the woman.

The woman in question also claimed that Freeman became “freaked out” by the comment.

Another woman, who worked on the 2013 film Now You See Me, said that staff knew not to wear clothes which showed their breasts or bottoms when Freeman was around.

The actor is also accused of asking women to twirl for him and staring at their breasts.

CNN stated that it had spoken to numerous individuals who had worked with or for Freeman, many of whom praised the actor as a professional.

However, the network also reported that several others had witnessed Freeman’s inappropriate behaviour.

The complaints ranged from comments about physical appearance to unwanted touching.

One woman claimed that Freeman had asked her how she felt about s**ual harassment.

Freeman’s acting career has spanned more than five decades and has included Oscar-winning performances in Million Dollar Baby and Unforgiven.

He is also known globally for his distinctive voice, which has been used for narration in numerous films and television programmes.

Freeman has also been a prominent activist for civil rights, and he appeared on last year’s list of the world’s 100 most powerful men compiled by Forbes.

The allegations against Freeman follow similar accusations made against a number of other high-profile figures in the entertainment industry.

These have included actors Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman, as well as directors Woody Allen and Brett Ratner.

In May, CBS news anchor Charlie Rose was fired following numerous allegations of s**ual misconduct.

In response to the allegations against Freeman, Visa announced that it was suspending its marketing campaign featuring the actor’s voice.

The adverts had been due to promote the company’s sponsorship of the Fifa World Cup.

Freeman’s voiceover work for airline Air New Zealand was also removed from the company’s website.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) has stated that it is investigating the allegations against Freeman.

Freeman received the guild’s lifetime achievement award in January.

A spokesperson for SAG-AFTRA stated: “These are compelling and devastating allegations which are absolutely contrary to all the steps that we are taking to ensure a safe work environment for the professionals in this industry.”