Russell Crowe has stepped up his fight for an Australian beautician imprisoned in an Indonesian prison on drug smuggling charges because he says her photographs broke his heart.

The Oscar winner appeared on Australian broadcaster John Laws' radio show, urging officials to step up their efforts to free Schappelle Corby after he heard that a man who could prove her innocence had been stabbed, reports Ireland Online.

"The photographs of Schappelle Corby broke my heart. I don't understand how we can, as a country, stand by and let a young lady rot away in a foreign prison. That is ridiculous," the "Gladiator" star said.

"It is Indonesia, fine and dandy, but we need to find a rational platform to save this girl's life."

Corby was arrested and imprisoned last October when marijuana was found in her luggage during a trip to Bali.

Her plight got worse last week when another Aussie-Indonesian inmate - who testified that a gang used Corby's luggage to stash the drugs - was stabbed in jail and put in solitary confinement for his protection.