Will and Grace is an Emmy Award-winning US sitcom

Will and Grace actress Shelley Morrison has been arrested on suspicion of shoplifting.

Ms Morrison, 66, who plays the wisecracking maid on the hit US sitcom, was detained by police after an incident at a Los Angeles department store.

Ms Morrison was released on $20,000 (�12.600) bail. She was ordered to return on 14 May.

A police spokesman said Ms Morrison was arrested by the shop's loss prevention officers.

"We are merely facilitating the booking process," the spokesman added.

Representatives for NBC, the US network that broadcasts the Emmy Award-winning Will and Grace, were not available for comment.

The alleged theft at Robinsons-May department store would have to involve goods worth $400 (�251) or more to qualify as a prosecutable offence.

Ms Morrison has played Rosario Salazar McFarland in Will and Grace since 1999.

The comedy about the friendship between gay lawyer Will and straight interior designer Grace, has been a big success in the US and the UK.

In the UK the series is shown on Channel 4.

Ms Morrison is married to writer Walter Dominguez. Her career has spanned four decades and includes appearances in dozens of movies and television shows.

Her credits include playing a nun opposite Sally Field in the 1960s hit show The Flying Nun.

She also featured in the soap opera General Hospital and the 1997 film Fools Rush In.