The organisation that hands out the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has expelled the actor Bill Cosby and the director Roman Polanski.

The decision was made by the Board of Governors, who concluded that the pair were in breach of the body’s Standards of Conduct.

Cosby was convicted last month of historical sexual assault – the only one of many allegations against him that was recent enough to be prosecuted.

In the case of Polanski, the Academy has taken longer to act. The director admitted having sex with a 13 year old girl in 1977 but fled the US before being sentenced. Since then, he’s been nominated for Oscars for Tess and The Pianist, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Director in 2003; he was unable to enter the country to accept his award, but his Academy membership was not revoked until now.

The producer Harvey Weinstein was only the second person to be expelled from the Academy after dozens of women accused him of sexually harassing and abusing them.

In a statement today, the Academy’s Board of Governors said it “continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity.”