Before Will Smith, these five people were also disciplined by the academy
By Tom Yun
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TORONTO (CTV Network) — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Friday that Will Smith would be banned from attending its events for 10 years after the actor slapped Chris Rock on stage at the 94th Oscars. This comes a week after Smith had resigned from the academy and issued a public apology, where he said he would “fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct.” But the “Fresh Prince” star isn’t the first to be disciplined by the governing body. In its 94-year history, at least five people have been expelled from the academy. HARVEY WEINSTEIN In October 2017, the academy’s board of governors voted to strip the former film producer and Hollywood executive of his membership after dozens of women came forward with allegations of sexual assault and harassment against Weinstein over several decades. Weinstein, whose films have racked up 81 Oscar awards, was only the second person to have been ousted from the body. The 70-year-old is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence after he was convicted on charges of rape and sexual assault filed by New York City prosecutors. In January 2020, prosecutors in Los Angeles filed separate charges of sexual assault stemming from several alleged incidents in 2010 and 2013. Weinstein was extradited to California to face these charges in July 2021 and has pled not guilty. ROMAN POLANSKI The Polish-French film director was also expelled from the academy in May 2018 amid growing pressure from the #MeToo movement over his rape conviction more than 40 years ago. In 1977, Polanski was arrested and charged in Los Angeles with six offences against a 13-year-old girl. Polanski, who was 44 at the time, pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor but fled to France in 1978 before he could be sentenced. Polanski remains a wanted man by American authorities and has not set foot on U.S. soil since 1978. When Polanski won Academy Awards for best picture and best director in 2003 for “The Pianist,” he did not attend the ceremony and the academy accepted his award on his behalf. After his expulsion, Polanski sued the academy and argued he was denied due process, but lost the court case in August 2020. When Polanski’s wife, French actress Emmanuelle Seigner, was invited to join the academy in July 2018, she publicly rejected the invitation. BILL COSBY The actor and comedian was also expelled from the academy alongside Polanski in May 2018, after his sexual assault conviction the previous month. At least sixty women have come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Cosby dating back to the 1960’s. Cosby’s conviction was in relation to allegations made by a Toronto woman, Andrea Constand, who alleged that Cosby had drugged and raped her in 2004. But in June 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Cosby’s conviction after ruling that the prosecutor was still bound to a non-prosecution agreement with Cosby made in 2005. Prosecutors tried to appeal the decision at the U.S. Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court in March 2022 declined to hear the case. ADAM KIMMEL Kimmel had been a cinematographer for hit films like “Capote” and “Never Let Me Go.” But in March 2021, the academy stripped him of his membership after an investigation from Variety magazine found that he had been a registered sex offender. According to Variety, Kimmel pleaded guilty in 2004 to third degree rape after being charged with sex with a minor when he was 43 years of age. He was also arrested and charged with sexual assault for a second time in 2010, as well as failing to register as a sex offender in Connecticut, although he was only convicted of the latter charge. CARMINE CARIDI The late actor, best known for his roles in “The Godfather” film series, was the first academy member revealed to be expelled and remains the only one removed for reasons not related to sexual assault. In February 2004, Caridi was kicked out of the body after movie screeners that were sent to him began circulating on the internet. The actor admitted that he had shared screeners with friends and family members who were not academy members. Sony and Time Warner sued Caridi, accusing the actor of copyright infringement. A U.S. judge ruled in the studios’ favour and ordered the actor to pay US$300,000 in penalties to the two studios.
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Matthew Talbotmatthew.talbot@bellmedia.ca
