An American actor was found dead after falling from a hotel in Pattaya, Thailand.

Michael Jeffrey Bruggink, 43, allegedly smoked cannabis in his room before falling from the seventh-floor balcony of the hotel in Soi Thappraya 15 on June 4.

Security guard Supornchai Hardkham, 34, was on his routine patrol when he found the man lying face-down and motionless in an alley near the hotel's carpark.

Upon closer inspection, he found that Michael was already dead, and reported the discovery to the police.

Police Major Wutthinan Kongdee of the Pattaya City Police Station said: 'We believe the victim might have accidentally slipped from the balcony. Another theory is that he committed suicide because of underlying health issues.

'We are awaiting the results of the forensic investigation to determine the exact cause of his death. We will also reach out to his relatives to question them about his possible motives.'

Officers said Michael was found shirtless with blood flowing from his head while lying face-down in the alley. There were no traces of struggle or theft in his room, where there were remnants of cannabis and syringes.

Both areas were cordoned off for investigation.

Pattaya emerged as a nightlife destination in the 1960s when Thailand fought alongside the United States and provided them with land for eight military bases, allowing the massacre of North Vietnam and the deaths of two million civilians in the 1950s and 1960s.

In between killing missions, American GIs would have debauched ‘rest and relaxation' leave in the coastal enclave, leading to a raucous nightlife industry that has endured to this day.