In his second apology since the accusations surfaced, Morgan Freeman said he is 'devastated' by the reports.
In a statement, the Oscar-winning actor said: "I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday's media reports."
The 80-year-old admitted he "would often try to joke with and compliment women" but says his actions were 'light-hearted' and 'humorous'.
"I admit that I am someone who feels a need to try to make women, and men, feel appreciated and at ease around me," Freeman said.
"As a part of that, I would often try to joke with and compliment women, in what I thought was a light-hearted and humorous way.
"Clearly I was not always coming across the way I intended. And that is why I apologised Thursday and will continue to apologise to anyone I might have upset, however unintentionally," he said.
But Freeman said his actions should not be equated with incidents of sexual assault or abuse in the workplace.
"All victims of assault and harassment deserve to be heard. And we need to listen to them. But it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humour."
Details of alleged inappropriate behaviour and harassment emerged last week, as part of an ongoing investigation by CNN.
Sixteen people described a pattern of unwanted advancements on movie sets, during media interviews or working with his production company, Revelations Entertainment.
One woman alleged that Freeman tried to lift her skirt and subjected her to unwanted touching and comments.
Mostly, Freeman's accusers say he would comment about their bodies or clothes or make them uncomfortable by staring.
A male former employee of Freeman's production company said the 80-year-old actor would behave like a "creepy uncle".
The actor said he wanted to make clear that he did not assault women, create unsafe work environments or offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex.
"Any suggestion that I did so is completely false."
Freeman won the 2005 Oscar for best-supporting actor for Million Dollar Baby.
He was nominated four other times, including for Driving Miss Daisy and The Shawshank Redemption.
His voice is familiar on commercials and as a narrator for documentaries and other productions.
