Crowe gets hit in brawl

LONDON -- Russell Crowe got into a brawl at a chic London restaurant and was questioned by police, newspapers reported Thursday. \nThe Oscar-winning star of films including "Gladiator" and "A Beautiful Mind" had a fist fight with a New Zealand businessman early Wednesday morning in the bathroom of Zuma, a hangout of music and film stars in the expensive Knightsbridge neighborhood, the Sun and Daily Mail tabloids reported. \nThe stories were accompanied by several photos, including one which showed marks on Crowe's face. \nA message left early Thursday for George Freeman, Crowe's representative in Los Angeles, was not immediately returned. \nPolice declined to identify the people involved, but said they were called to Zuma to deal with a scuffle involving two men believed to be in their 30s. Scotland Yard said the situation was calm when officers arrived and no one was injured or accused of a crime. Police planned no further action. \nIt wasn't the first instance of reported bad behavior by Crowe. \nHe reportedly was abusive toward a television executive when the British Broadcasting Corp. edited his acceptance speech out of a broadcast of the British Academy Film Awards in February. He won the best actor award for his role as a schizophrenic scientist in "A Beautiful Mind." \nThe Sun said then that he swore at the program's director and pushed him against a wall. Crowe reportedly apologized later. \nThe actor won an Oscar for his performance as Maximus in 2000's "Gladiator," and was nominated for a second Academy Award for "A Beautiful Mind," this year's best picture.