Naceri, 47, allegedly pulled out a switch-blade knife and attacked a man who had arrived at the bar in an upscale area of central Paris where the actor was meeting with his ex-girlfriend and her friend.

A heated argument had broken out earlier between Naceri and the two women, who hid in the bar's toilets and called the man by cellphone for help.

Naceri returned to his Paris apartment after the attack and was picked up by police Thursday evening, police said. The victim was recovering.

The actor was being held in police custody at a Paris hospital where he was being treated for liver problems, according to police.

He was expected to appear before a judge in the coming days to be formally charged with attempted homicide, a judicial source said.

Born in Paris to a French mother and Algerian father, Naceri has admitted to having an alcohol problem and friends have described his mental health as fragile.

Naceri shared in a best actor's award at the Cannes film festival in 2006 given to the cast of 'Indigenes", a World War II drama about four north African men fighting in the French army.

He has also starred in all four 'Taxi' films - written by 'Fifth Element' and 'Nikita' director Luc Besson - since the hit series began in 1988. A Hollywood version came out in 2005 with Queen Latifah in Naceri's role. -- AFP