Stars send anti-war message to Bush

Kim Basinger, Samuel L Jackson and Jessica Lange are among the stars who have signed the letter, which will be made public on Tuesday.

Also on the list is Martin Sheen, who plays President Josiah Bartlet in the hit White House TV series.

The letter was written after actor Mike Farrell - who played Captain BJ Hunnicut in war series Mash - set up a group called Artists United To Win Without War.

Ambassador's support

He will reveal the contents of the letter at a press conference with Anjelica Huston on Tuesday.

Also among the signatories are a retired admiral, Eugene Carroll Jr, and a former United States ambassador to Iraq, Edward Peck.

Actors Matt Damon, Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Laurence Fishburne have also signed up, organisers said.

The details of the letter will be released as anti-war protestors hold demonstrations across the US.

The biggest protests are expected to take place in Lafayette Park, opposite the White House, and in New York.

A number of people from the entertainment world, including Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon and Harold Pinter, have already spoken out against military action in Iraq.

Sheen has previously described President Bush as a "moron".

The actor has been arrested 70 times for his involvement in protests for issues such as nuclear disarmament and homelessness.

In 2001, he was sentenced to three years' probation after demonstrating against the "Star Wars" missile defence system at a US military air base.

The same year, his portrayal of the president earned him a Golden Globe award for best actor in a TV drama - and one member of Congress has said that he would not be surprised if Sheen ran for political office.

The anti-war letter follows a similar message put together by Farrell against a plan to bury nuclear waste at Nevada's Yucca Mountain.

Stars including Alec Baldwin, Tim Robbins, Barbra Streisand and Harry Belafonte signed that letter.