Mel Gibson uninjured in Malibu crash

Actor and director Mel Gibson was involved in an auto accident Sunday evening, but the Oscar winner was uninjured, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Gibson was alone driving his 2008 Maserati sports car when he crashed into a Malibu hillside, the authorities said, adding they do not suspect alcohol was involved.

The Hollywood star co-operated with the authorities and was retrieved from the scene by a friend.

Further details were not released.

The 54-year-old has, in recent years, made headlines more for his personal scandals than for his films.

Earlier this summer, it emerged he is being investigated for a potential domestic violence incident involving his former girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, and is battling the Russian singer for custody of their infant daughter.

Gibson divorced Robyn Gibson, his wife of 28 years and mother of his seven other children, in 2009.

An international star since the release of Mad Max in 1979, Gibson had been considered one of Hollywood's biggest stars. He earned two Oscars for his 1995 epic Braveheart, but also sparked controversy for his films The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto.

His notoriety increased after a leaked 2006 police report revealed that Gibson uttered anti-Semitic comments while being arrested for impaired driving. He was fined, sentenced to counselling and placed on probation.

Gibson's next movie, The Beaver — a dark comedy about a middle-aged man in crisis, directed by co-star Jodie Foster — has been completed, but has reportedly been shelved for the time being.