Warren Beatty, the famous actor and director best known for his role in the film Bonnie and Clyde, has been accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The suit was filed by a woman named Kristina Charlotte Hirsch, who claims that Beatty sexually abused her when she was 14 and 15 years old.

The abuse is said to have occurred over several months in 1973, after Hirsch met Beatty on a film set in Los Angeles.

According to the lawsuit, Beatty used his celebrity status to “groom, manipulate, exploit and coerce sexual contact” with Hirsch.

The lawsuit does not mention Beatty by name, but it does identify the primary defendant as an actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Bonnie and Clyde.

Beatty was nominated for the same award in 1968 for his role in the film.

Hirsch’s lawyers, Michael Reck and Michael G Finnegan, have declined to comment on the lawsuit, stating that they will let the complaint speak for itself.

Representatives for Beatty have also not commented on the allegations.

The lawsuit was filed under a California law from 2019 that allows adults to file sexual abuse claims that are decades old.

The so-called “look-back window” for these types of lawsuits expires on January 1st, which means that Hirsch had to file her claim before the end of the year.

In the lawsuit, Hirsch describes her relationship with Beatty in detail. She claims that Beatty first commented on her looks and gave her his phone number before inviting her to his hotel room.

Hirsch also claims that Beatty offered to help her with her homework and took her on car rides.

Eventually, the interactions between Hirsch and Beatty are said to have escalated to include “oral sex, simulated sex and finally coerced sexual intercourse”.

Hirsch is now suing for damages, claiming that she continues to suffer from “severe emotional, physical and psychological distress” as a result of the alleged abuse.

Beatty is the younger brother of actress Shirley MacLaine and rose to fame in the 1960s as a Hollywood star.

His role in Bonnie and Clyde, which he both starred in and produced, cemented his reputation as a maverick filmmaker and a key figure in the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s.

The film, which featured graphic and morally ambiguous portrayals of the violent outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, divided critics at the time.

Beatty went on to further success as a director with the hit comedy Heaven Can Wait and won an Academy Award in 1982 for directing the political drama Reds. He also starred in the film.

Beatty is well known for his relationships with famous women, both on and off screen. He has been married to actress Annette Bening since 1992.