In its latest step to address the sexual misconduct scandals that have roiled the film industry in recent months, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday that it had expelled comedian Bill Cosby and director Roman Polanski from the group’s ranks.
The decision by the academy’s 54-member board of governors, which includes such luminaries as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Kathleen Kennedy, was reached at a May 1 meeting “in accordance with the organisation’s Standards of Conduct,” the academy said in a statement.
Cosby was convicted of three counts of sexual assault on April 26, capping a stunning fall from grace for the once beloved comic who starred on such TV hits as I Spy and The Cosby Show as well as in movies like Uptown Saturday Night.
Polanski, who directed such films as Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby, pleaded guilty in 1977 to unlawful sex with a minor. While awaiting sentencing, he fled the country and remains a fugitive from the US criminal justice system. A five-time Academy Award nominee, Polanski won the director Oscar for the 2002 drama The Pianist and received a standing ovation.
