Oscar voters 'boys club'

Claims of inequality at the Oscars have rocked the Hollywood guild for years, with less than 4% of awards being won by African Americans and only one award being given to a female director - Kathryn Bigelow. Yet the academy has notoriously remained tight-lipped about its 5765-strong voter roster.

A single statuette can add millions to box office revenues and propel an actor to instant stardom. But, while winners reap the rewards, mystery still shrouds the voter base - until now.

A study by the Los Angeles Times has finally unmasked the highly secretive electorate, claiming to have identified 5112 of the guild's 5765 voters, and finding that the voter base is 94% white and 77% male.

The average age is 62 and only 14% of members are under 50, according to the study. Only 2% are black, less than 2% are Latino, and 15 academy branches are exclusively made up of white males.

Curiously, a nun, bookshop owner and a retired Peace Corps recruit are also listed as members, casting their ballots with the same clout as megastars George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Leonardo di Caprio.

The findings make frustrating reading for the academy's critics, among them Denzel Washington and Samuel L Jackson, who have spent years protesting at the lack of black and minority nominees.

Others reacted with anger, with some insiders calling the situation "ridiculous".

"You would think that, in this day and age, there would be a little more equality across the board, but that is not the case," Nancy Schreiber, one of a handful of women working in the academy's cinematography branch, told the LA Times. "Being a cinematographer should not be gender-based, and it is ridiculous that it is."

Some also claim that inequality in the voter make-up has led to a skewed winners' record.

Bernie Casey, a black actor who says he recently quit the academy due to inequalities, said people of colour are always "peripheral" when it comes to the awards.

"Asians, Latinos, black people - you never see them. We are 320million people in America and about 48million black people and the same of Latin descent - but you would not believe that based on what you see in the films," he said.

However, not everyone agrees. Frank Pierson, the former academy president who serves on the board of governors, says membership should be on merit and not tapered to fit an ideal. Pierson won an Oscar in 1976 for Dog Day Afternoon.

"I don't see any reason why the academy should represent the entire American population. That's what the People's Choice Awards are for," he said. "We represent the professional filmmakers, and if that doesn't reflect the general population, so be it."

• There have been several minority actors nominated for Oscars, including Octavia Spencer for her role in The Help, and Mexican performer Demian Bichir for his role in A Better Life. This year's Oscars ceremony will be this Sunday, February 26.