NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Actor Richard Dreyfuss is one of the latest to weigh in on the Oscars diversity row.

He said he supported the Academy's new pledge to bring more women and minorities into the ranks

And to strip lifetime voting privileges from members who have not worked in the industry for decades -

It follows an outcry when not a single actor of colour was nominated for an Oscar for a second year.

"I think that the one important change is to clean up and brush off the membership of the Academy. So that not people who are over 90, we say goodbye to, and people who haven't voted in 30 years, we say goodbye to. And we get younger and people of different cultural backgrounds into the Academy." said Mr Dreyfuss.

Blythe Danner, who co-stars with Dreyfuss in television film 'Madoff', also backed the changes.

"Well I think that the new rules are going to help a lot. I think there are a lot of good roles for people of color and more and more all the time. So I don't think that's as much the problem as these rules that had been." she said.

Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith and Spike Lee have already boycotted the glitzy awards ceremony which will be hosted by comedian Chris Rock on February 28th.