LOS ANGELES - Prosecutors have charged Oscar-nominated actor Haley Joel Osment, who famously saw dead people in 1999 hit movie "The Sixth Sense," with drunken driving and marijuana possession.

Osment, 18, faces up to six months in jail if convicted on the charges that arose after a car crash in suburban Los Angeles on July 20.

The actor suffered a broken rib and shoulder injury and was briefly hospitalized.

Prosecutors charged Osment with misdemeanour possession of marijuana while driving and with having a blood alcohol level higher than 0.08 per cent, including a special allegation of having a level higher than 0.15 per cent, said Deputy District Attorney Ed Green.

A spokeswoman for the actor was not immediately available.

Osment is set to be arraigned on Sept. 19.

The actor shot to fame with his role as a young boy who could see dead people haunting the real world in "Sixth Sense," which raked in $673 ($NZ1067) million at global box offices.

The role earned Osment an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor and made him a star. But since then, few of his movies have scored well with critics or at box offices.

- REUTERS