Actor Don Cheadle has called measures to double the number of female and minority members of the organisation behind the Oscars "a step in the right direction".

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the changes following a backlash over the lack of diversity in this year's Oscar nominations.

Oscar nominee Matt Damon also praised the initiatives, but added the industry had "a long, long, long way to go".

Three new seats will be added to the Academy's board of governors to improve diversity in leadership, while voting rights will be stripped from those who have not been active in the industry for the past decade.

The all-white line-up in the four acting categories prompted director Spike Lee, actress Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband Will Smith to announce they would not be attending next month's awards.