California police say there is a a "strong reason to believe" that actor Nick Nolte took drugs before being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The 61-year-old star of films including Cape Fear and The Prince of Tides was "drooling" and "completely out of it" when he was arrested on Wednesday, police said.

Mr Nolte was pulled over after being seen swerving across the road near his home in Malibu, California.

Nolte was seen slumped in the back of the police car

A blood test has been taken to determine whether the actor was under the influence of drugs.

"We have strong reason to believe there were drugs involved," California Highway Patrol spokesman Leland Tang said.

The officer who stopped the actor "found that Mr Nolte at that point seemed completely out of it. He was drooling, [with] droopy eyes", Mr Tang said.

But he was also described as "extremely pleasant and co-operative".

The actor was taken into custody after failing to complete a breath test and later released on $2,500 (�1,600) bail.

Mr Nolte battled with a drink problem for many years, but is said to have become a health and fitness buff after giving up alcohol in the 1990s.

"I could drink in the morning, I could drink every day... I was a functioning drunk," he told an interviewer in 2001.

Oscar nomination

The Nebraska-born actor found fame on the hit TV series Rich Man Poor Man in the 1970s, which landed him an Emmy nomination.

He received Oscar nominations for 1991's The Prince Of Tides, and for Affliction in 1999.

His other film appearances include 48 Hours and its sequel, Another 48 Hours, Cape Fear, Simpatico and The Thin Red Line.

He will be seen next year in Hulk, based on The Incredible Hulk character, and he recently attended the Toronto Film Festival to promote his latest film, The Good Thief.