Actor Russell Crowe has revealed that he used to get prank calls from the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

"I never met him, never shook his hand, but he found out the name I stayed in hotels under, so it didn't matter where I was, he'd ring up do this kind of thing, like you did when you were ten, you know," Crowe told theguardian.com.

The "Beat it" hit maker tragically died of cardiac arrest at the age of 50, but Crowe insisted the musician's sense of humour was still puerile towards the end of his life, when he would make the ridiculous jokes during the phone calls, even though it irritated the Hollywood star.

Crowe, who has sons Charles, 11, and eight-year-old Tennyson, added: "'Is Mr. Wall there? Is Mrs. Wall there? Are there any Walls there? Then what's holding the roof up? Ha ha.' You're supposed to grow out of doing that, right?"