There have been several infamous public meltdowns by Hollywood stars over the years, but not all of them happened on stage while the subject was wearing a dress and dancing to Taylor Swift.

Richard Dreyfuss was attending an event screening of 'Jaws' at a cinema in Massachusetts over the weekend, but instead of introducing the film, he embarked on a tirade that many have deemed misogynistic and transphobic.

In a video clip taken by one audience member, the 76-year-old actor takes the stage in a dress and holding a cane, dancing while Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' plays.

The event was billed as 'An Evening With Richard Dreyfuss + Jaws Screening' and patrons probably expected some entertaining stories about Dreyfuss's work on Steven Spielberg's iconic 1976 film as well as his other work - but instead heard bigoted remarks about women and transgender kids.

At one point, he described Barbra Streisand - the producer of his film 'Nuts' - as a "genius", but according to one observer, women "are so passive that’s why the movie sucked."

Dreyfuss has come under fire in recent years for his comments on blackface and the new Oscar diversity rules, which he said "make me vomit".

One attendee also told the Boston Globe that "[Dreyfuss] said that the parents of trans youth, allowing them to transition, was bad parenting and that someday those kids might change their minds."

He also allegedly criticised the #MeToo movement, while one Facebook commenter claimed he said "vile, dehumanizing, abhorrent things about trans youth, LGBTQ+ people, women and survivors of sexual violence."

The cinema that hosted the event sent an email to attendees apologising, which read:

"Dear Cabot Patrons,

I am writing to address an important matter concerning last night’s event with Richard Dreyfuss at The Cabot.

We deeply regret that Mr. Dreyfuss’s comments during the event were not in line with the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold at The Cabot. We understand that his remarks were distressing and offensive to many of our community members, and for that, we sincerely apologize.

At The Cabot, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our community. The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect our beliefs, and we do not endorse them in any way.

We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for any discomfort it caused.

We are taking immediate steps to ensure that such an incident does not happen again. This includes more rigorous vetting of our event participants and more proactive communication strategies to keep our audience informed.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support of The Cabot.

We value your feedback and are dedicated to learning from this experience to better serve our community."

Dreyfuss has not yet commented publicly on the matter.