Weinstein dumped from Hollywood's Academy over sex scandal

Insiders say Weinstein is likely to be expelled from the Academy. Photo / AP

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has expelled Harvey Weinstein amid his sexual harassment scandal.

The 54-member board of governors, which administers the professional group that hands out Oscars every year, voted to oust the disgraced movie mogul at an emergency meeting on Saturday, reports The Daily Mail.

Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are among the Hollywood power players who hold seats on the board.

Following the meeting, the Academy issued a statement saying the board had voted "to immediately expel him from the Academy."

It went on: "We do so not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over.

"What's at issue here is a deeply troubling problem that has no place in our society. The Board continues to work to establish ethical standards of conduct that all Academy members will be expected to exemplify."

The movie producer has been accused of harassment by a multitude of high-profile Hollywood celebrities. On Thursday, American actress Rose McGowan became the fourth woman to accuse the 65-year-old movie mogul of raping her.

Weinstein is now believed to be in a rehab facility in Arizona being treated for sex addiction.

As a result of the allegations, Weinstein was also fired from the company he co-founded with his brother Bob in 2005.

The only personal Oscar he won was for Shakespeare in Love in 1999. He was also nominated for Gangs of New York in 2003.

There is no word on whether his Oscar will be rescinded.

The Academy's move to eject Weinstein comes as the mounting scandal threatens to taint the broader world of show business.

Six in 10 said they would be less likely to watch the annual Oscars ceremony if Weinstein was allowed to remain, according to a survey conducted by celebrity branding expert and bestselling author Jeetendr Sehdev.

More broadly, a striking half of respondents said they now viewed Hollywood as a 'sleazy' brand.

Some 82 percent of 2000 people questioned as part of an ongoing study into American attitudes to celebrity and entertainment said he should be kicked out of the Academy.

The Academy has a membership of roughly 6000 professional filmmakers who vote annually on the Oscar awards.

Only one other Academy member has been kicked out previously, The Godfather II actor Carmine Caridi.

He was accused of giving tapes of around 60 Oscar movies seeking consideration for the Academy Awards to a neighbour, who turned out to be a movie pirate.