A jury was sworn in on Wednesday at a district court to hear charges that Philip Antony Cropper, 36, and Malcolm Brian Mercer, 37, tried to extort money from the star.

They are accused of demanding payment to destroy a videotape which allegedly shows Crowe in a fight outside a nightclub.

Crown prosecutor Colin McPherson told the court the actor had become involved in the altercation at 0300 local time on 18 November 1999, outside a nightclub in Coffs Harbour - a resort town north of Sydney where Crowe owns a cattle ranch.

Temper

Mr McPherson said that Crowe was under the influence of alcohol and appeared to initiate the incident.

He said that the video showed Crowe manhandling a man and remonstrating "fairly heavily" with a woman.

Crowe: Acclaimed for films like A Beautiful Mind

Then after tempers cooled and the protagonists went their separate ways, Crowe left in a stretch limousine.

Mr Cropper and Mr Mercer later tried to contact Crowe to sell him the video, the jury was told.

Mr McPherson said police monitoring the telephone of the defendants uncovered their attempts "to make a quick quid".

'Convicted'

Police overheard the pair discussing how to get in contact with Crowe's brother to ask for A$200,000 (£76,000) for the video tape, which was later sold to Sydney's Channel Nine TV station.

The prosecutor said that in another conversation Mr Mercer told a man anmed Sam Ayoub that if Crowe did not buy the tape and it was seen by police he "would be charged and convicted".

Mr McPherson said they also contacted the coach of the South Sydney junior rugby league team, Craig Coleman, who is a friend of Crowe.

In another call intercepted by police, Mr Mercer had told Mr Cropper they should remind Crowe that "it's even got him on the bar ripping some girl's top," said Mr McPherson.

The two men face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years if convicted.

A charge against a third man, of perverting the course of justice, was dropped on Friday.

The defence lawyers have said they would like to subpoena Crowe, star of Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind and currently thought to be shooting a film in Mexico, to give evidence at the trial.

The trial is expected to last between five and eight days.