Roman Polanski and Bill Cosby have been expelled from the organisation that awards the Oscars

Polansky and Cosby have both been convicted of sexual offences having exploited their fame, status and power.

80-year-old Cosby was found guilty last week of drugging and molesting a woman 35 years his junior at his home in 2004.  Polanski, 84, director of Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby, fled the United States in 1978 after pleading guilty to engaging in sexual activities with a 13-year-old girl after plying her with champagne and a sedative drug during a photoshoot.

The men have thus become the first casualties of efforts by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences to implement revised standards of conduct for its members.





A spokesman for the Academy stated that the board “continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity.”