Bacall chides Cruise for 'vulgar' behaviour

Screen legend Lauren Bacall has taken a caustic swipe at Tom Cruise, chiding the Hollywood star for his "vulgar" behaviour and questioning his acting ability.

The 81-year-old, who has never been shy in voicing her opinion of fellow actors, made clear her distaste for Tom Cruise's recent displays of emotion over his engagement to actress Katie Holmes.

"It's inappropriate and vulgar and absolutely unacceptable to use your private life to sell anything commercially," she said.

Lauren Bacall also had some less than complimentary words for Cruise's acting skills as she bemoaned the liberal way labels like "great" and "legend" were sprinkled over Hollywood stars.

"When you talk about a great actor, you're not talking about Tom Cruise", she said.

The screen siren had made similar remarks last year about Tom Cruise's ex-wife, Nicole Kidman, with whom she worked on the film 'Birth'.

At the time, she took exception to one reporter's description of Oscar-winner Nicole as a legend.

"She's not a legend, she's a beginner", she snapped.