Actor Michael Rapaport faced criticism after a Holocaust-related image he posted to Facebook was later determined to be fake.

The veteran actor, 55, on Saturday took to Facebook and posted the picture in question, depicting a violin player in an Auschwitz concentration camp.

Rapaport, known for his roles in movies like True Romance, Higher Learning, and Deep Blue Sea, received nearly 9,900 likes and 1,200 shares on the image (which he reportedly removed later), according to Mediate.

The following day, the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum, which is based out of Poland, condemned the image as ‘a dangerous distortion’ of reality.

The museum stated on their Facebook page that ‘publishing fake, AI-generated images’ of Holocaust victims is disrespectful and jeopardizes their memory;’ they also advised people that ‘if you see such posts, please refrain from sharing them.’

Daily Mail has reached out to the actor via Instagram, as well as his rep, for further comment on the story. 

Actor Michael Rapaport came under scrutiny after posting an image related to the Holocaust on Facebook, which was later revealed to be fake. He was pictured in NYC last year.

The veteran actor, 55, on Saturday took to Facebook and posted the picture, depicting a violin player in an Auschwitz concentration camp. A prominent museum later dubbed it fake 

The museum advised to follow their pages ‘where every name, every photo, and every story is based on rigorous historical research and the utmost respect for the truth.’ 

The image posted by the Manhattan native was accompanied by a 134-word blurb detailing what was in the picture the museum said seemed to be fake as well, pointing out multiple factual inconsistencies. 

A number of commenters commended the museum for setting the record straight on the topic.

‘Thank you, for speaking out against those attempts to make a spectacle out of the real historic suffering,’ one user wrote. 

The commenter said that ‘the spectacle is not only disrespectful to the victims, it is also dangerous to the historic truth, because it mixes it with fantasy and fake and (willingly or unwillingly) makes it just some story instead of facts.’

Another user remarked, Thank you for fighting for the voiceless in all of this. 

‘AI is proving to be a huge plague in the art community (which is what photos and writing is part of.) it’s gross watching it bleed into real life tragedies as it robs humans of their humanity (in cases like these, for a second time.)’

Another user who works as ‘a full time violinist’ thanked the museum for ‘speaking out about these images,’ noting that there has been much misleading information about musicians in a historical context circulated via AI. 

The Auschwitz Memorial and Museum, which is based out of Poland, condemned the image as ‘a dangerous distortion’ of reality 

A number of Facebook commenters commended the museum for setting the record straight 

Rapaport played the role of Gary – a police officer who was dating Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) – on the NBC comedy Friends for four episodes in 1999 

Rapaport appeared in four total season five episodes: The One with the Cop; The One with Rachel’s Inadvertent Kiss; The One with the Ride Along; and The One with the Ball 

Another lamented: ‘I am beginning to lose all faith in mankind in this day and age. AI may be the future but the past needs to be remembered as it is.’

Others said the real issue was the burgeoning efficacy in AI and fear over how it can be used – and abused – moving forward. 

‘This is one of the reasons I am very worried about AI,’ one user said, while another asked, ‘How is the ordinary guy who likes discovering history to actually know its fake. Unless those in the know who can tell inform. AI is bad.’

It was not immediately clear if the actor addressed the controversy as of Wednesday evening. 

In the past, the outspoken star has not been afraid to ruffle feathers expressing his opinion on controversial topics such as politics, religion and world affairs via social media. 

Rapaport delivered a memorable performance as aspiring actor Dick Ritchie in 1993’s True Romance

He appeared in the Quentin Tarantino-penned film opposite Brad Pitt, Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette

Rapaport currently presides over a podcast called I AM RAPAPORT: STEREO PODCAST, where he discusses the aforementioned issues in depth.

Rapaport played the role of Gary – a police officer who was dating Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) – on the NBC comedy Friends for four episodes during the show’s fifth season in 1999.

He appeared in four total episodes: The One with the Cop; The One with Rachel’s Inadvertent Kiss; The One with the Ride Along; and The One with the Ball. 

Rapaport who is father to two children, has been married to actress Kebe Dunn since 2016; he was previously wed to Nichole Beattie from 2000–2007.