The Hobbit's Manu Bennett charged with assault after Texas Comic Con altercation

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Manu Bennett, 45, played the character Azog in The Hobbit film trilogy
The New Zealand-born actor was arrested by police in Texas for assault
Police were called to an 'assault in progress' at San Antonio hotel
He was given a $1,600 bond before being released about noon yesterday

Published: 10:26 EST, 14 September 2015 | Updated: 16:46 EST, 14 September 2015

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Actor Manu Bennett, who played the character Azog in the Hobbit trilogy, has been arrested for assault while in Texas to attend a Comic Con.

The 45-year-old was held on a misdemeanor assault charge after punching a 29-year-old man in the face at a hotel party, police claim.

He was appearing at the Alamo City convention, which is popular with fantasy and comic book fans, as a celebrity guest known for his work in the Peter Jackson directed films.

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New Zealand-born actor Manu Bennett (left), 45, played the character Azog (right) in the Hobbit films trilogy

Bennett tweeted his excitement about attending the Alamo City Comic Con on September 9

Bennett has also appeared as a gladiator in the TV series Spartacus and played characters in Arrow and the MTV miniseries The Shannara Chronicles.

According to Bexar County Central Magistrate office records, the New Zealand-born actor was arrested about 6am yesterday and released just after noon.

Charged with a misdemeanor, he was released after a bond of $1,600 was posted.

Further details about his arrest were not known, MySanAntonio reported, but it's believed to have occurred at the Grand Hyatt hotel in San Antonio.

A SAPD spokesman confirmed they had been called to an 'assault in progress' at the hotel.

Along with the Hobbit, Spartacus and several other high-profile films and TV shows, he has also appeared in a number of Australian and New Zealand programmes.

This includes the long-running New Zealand drama Shortland Street, as well as Australian series Water Rats. Born in Rotorua, New Zealand, he moved to Australia as a child.