Amid accusations, French actor Gerard Depardieu's figure is removed from a Paris wax museum

PARIS (AP) — The wax figure of actor Gerard Depardieu has been removed from Paris' most famous wax museum, following negative reactions from visitors over allegations about his conduct with women, the museum said Monday.

The decision to remove the figure from the Grevin Museum, the so-called “Pantheon of wax celebrities,” followed a recent report on the actor on French television that has dented his reputation in France and around the world.

The France 2 documentary showed him repeatedly making obscene remarks and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea. Depardieu has also been under investigation for rape since 2020. He denies all charges.

Depardieu, 74, has starred in hundreds of movies over more than half a century, including French classics like “The Last Metro,” “Jean de Florette” and “Cyrano de Bergerac," and English-language movies including “Green Card” and “Life of Pi.”

This waxwork's disappearance coincides with France’s culture minister announcing a disciplinary procedure concerning Depardieu's prestigious Order of the Legion of Honor, which could lead to its withdrawal. In response, Depardieu, through his lawyers, said he was relinquishing the honor. The actor has already been stripped of honors in Canada and Belgium.

Depardieu’s family has condemned what they say is a conspiracy against him, expressing their disapproval of the “collective rage” aimed at the actor in a statement published in French media.