Mel Gibson and foul mouthed, bad tempered outbursts, they're never far from each other are they? What is it with swaggering leading men and childish temper tantrums?

This week the actor, director and producer reportedly unleashed a verbal tirade against his ex-girlfriend - who captured it all on tape - that's allegedly so foul-mouthed and threatening that it will probably end not only his acting career, but opportunities for 'Icon,' his production company.

For the last four years, Gibson has hoped to sidestep the shockingly anti-Semitic remarks he spewed when arrested for drunken driving. But the new tirade, apparently recorded by his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva and now part of an ongoing custody battle, brings all that right back up.

Both TMZ.com and RadarOnline.com claim to have heard the tape, in which Gibson calls Grigorieva a variety of things, among which 'whore' was one of the less unpleasant. Shockingly he also used the N-word and reportedly threatened to burn down her home.

Gibson tried his best to distance himself from his previous ethnic slurs, and his lawyer has branded previous allegations by Grigorieva as false. But in Hollywood you don't, repeat don't, make hateful ethnic or racial slurs and expect a free pass. Gibson's outburst will bring as much heat and negative attention as possible to both himself and his production company.

When people finally decide you're a totally unpleasant piece of work, you can't act surprised that they don't want to work with you.