Dustin Hoffman has joined the list of Hollywood big names to be accused of sexual harassment.

In an essay for The Hollywood Reporter, writer Anna Graham Hunter said that the abuse happened in 1985 when she was a high school student aged 17, interning as a production assistant on the set of a TV film version of Death of a Salesman.

Hoffman, she says, asked her for a foot massage on her first day on set. “He was openly flirtatious, he grabbed my ass, he talked about sex to me and in front of me,” she claims., adding that he also used sexually explicit language to her when ordering breakfast.

Ms Hunter says she felt a conflict of emotions.  “I loved the attention from Dustin Hoffman. Until I didn't.”  She quotes from old letters that she sent to her sister at the time. “Today, when I was walking Dustin to his limo, he felt my ass four times. I hit him each time, hard, and told him he was a dirty old man. He took off his hat and pointed to his head (shaved for the part) and said, "No, I'm a dirty young man, I have a full head of hair.” 

Later on, Ms Hunter says, her supervisor advised her that “for the sake of the production we have to sacrifice some of our values and just let it roll over our heads. She said we should try to have a sense of humor and just giggle and slap his hands or something. But that's when I feel the cheapest, like, ‘Oh, she really likes it.’ “

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hoffman’s response when asked about the accusations was: "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."