Film producer Harvey Weinstein has been expelled by the Oscars Academy following accusations of sexual harassment and rape.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has stripped Weinstein's lifetime membership following an emergency meeting on Saturday.

The group - which includes names such as Tom Hanks, Annette Bening and Steven Spielberg - said in a statement they had "voted well in excess of the required two-thirds majority to immediately expel him from the Academy".

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The more than 8,000-member group said the film producer, who has been accused of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape by dozens of women, "does not merit the respect of his colleagues".


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The statement added that the Academy wanted "to send a message that the era of wilful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behaviour and workplace harassment in our industry is over".

Weinstein has "unequivocally denied" allegations of non-consensual sex against him and of illegal sexual harassment.

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British actress Lysette Anthony has become the fifth woman to accuse the 65-year-old of raping her.

She joined a long list of actresses and women who have worked with Weinstein in the past, who claim he behaved inappropriately towards them.

These include A-listers such as Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Beckinsale.

Police forces in the UK and US are investigating the allegations.

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Weinstein, who is believed to have checked into rehab, was fired last Sunday by The Weinstein Company - the studio he co-founded with his brother Bob.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Bob Weinstein said: "I don't feel an ounce of remorse coming from him, and that kills me, too.

"It's unbelievable that even to this moment he is more concerned with who sold him out.

"I don't hear concern or contrition for the victims. And I want them to hear that. Harvey has no remorse whatsoever."

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Bob and Harvey Weinstein have worked together since they co-founded Miramax in the late 1970s, but the younger sibling says the two have been "divorced" for the last five years.

He has also been left by his wife and suspended by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta).

Also meeting to discuss the scandal is the Producers' Guild of America, which will "consider disciplinary proceedings and the status of (Weinstein's) membership".

The meetings come after Casino Royale actress Eva Green said she felt "shocked and disgusted" after an encounter with Weinstein in which she allegedly had to "push him off".

Green's statement came after her mother, Marlene Jobert, told a French radio that her daughter "was a victim of this horrible man".

Sky News has been in touch with representatives of Mr Weinstein, but they have yet to comment.