'Transparent' actor Jeffrey Tambor leaves series

Actor Jeffrey Tambor announced Sunday that he is leaving the Amazon TV series "Transparent" after accusations of sexual harassment were leveled against him by two colleagues.

Tambor, who won critical acclaim for his portrayal of a family father going through the transition from male to female in the show, was accused by a former assistant, transgender actress Van Barnes, of making lewd comments, groping her and propositioning her on several occasions. After those came to light, a second transgender actress on the show, Trace Lysette went public with similar experiences.

The actor is the latest figure in entertainment to have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent weeks after bombshell reporting by The New York Times and The New Yorker magazine reinvigorated a debate on the issue of sexual harassment and power dynamics in the industry.

Read more: Kevin Spacey: London theater reveals 20 testimonies of harassment

Amazon, which saw the resignation of Amazon Studios President Roy Price last month following allegations of sexual harassment, began investigating the claims brought forth against Tambor. The Emmy-winning actor responded via statement through his publicist Sunday.

"I've already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue," he wrote. "Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don't see how I can return to 'Transparent.'"

ct/eg (AFP, dpa)