The veteran Hollywood actor Rip Torn is due in court today on charges of breaking into a bank with a loaded gun.

The 79-year-old, who appeared in films such as Men in Black and Dodgeball, was arrested in January, in Connecticut, when police found him inside the branch of Litchfield BanCorp after the alarm went off.

According to the police report, the Oscar-nominated actor was almost three times over the drink-drive limit.

He was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal trespass and third-degree criminal mischief.

In a court appearance last month, his attorney, Thomas Waterfall, told the judge that his client needed help with his alcohol abuse and that he could start treatment immediately. Torn was released on $100,000 (£66,230) bail and was told by the judge to undergo an evaluation for substance abuse.

Waterfall has said that Torn was confused and thought the bank was his home, which is a mile and a half down the street. According to reports, Torn went to sleep in the bank and asked police what they were doing in his house when they arrived.

Last year, Torn was given probation in a Connecticut drink-driving case and entered an alcohol education programme. He also has two previous drunken driving arrests in New York.

Rip Torn’s 2006 police mugshot. Photograph: NY State Police/REX/Shutterstock

In January 2004, Torn was arrested in New York after his car collided with a taxi. A video of his arrest in which he swears at officers and refuses a breathalyser test was aired on TV. A jury subsequently acquitted Torn of any wrongdoing.

In December 2006, Torn was again arrested for drunk driving in North Salem, New York, after colliding with a tractor trailer. He pleaded guilty and had his driving licence suspended for 90 days, and was required to pay a $380 fine. He was convicted and sentenced to probation in May 2009 after another drink-driving offence.

Torn received an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. He earned a reputation for volatility when he brawled with Norman Mailer during the filming of Maidstone, when he hit Mailer – the film’s director – on the head.

As the cameras rolled, Mailer bit Torn’s ear and they wrestled to the ground. The fight was broken up by cast and crew members as Mailer’s children cried and screamed in the background. The fight is featured in the film.