The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences never reveals its membership, which is made up of Oscar nominees and those they put forward within their industry.
But the Los Angeles Times confirmed that of the 5,100 of the 5,765 voting members, 94 per cent are white, 77 per cent are male and 54 per cent are over 60.
Although the figures are representative of the people who make the films, they hardly reflect those who watch them.
Individual members of the academy, which claims to encompass 'the most accomplished men and women working in cinema', include the singer Meat Loaf, Charlie's Angels star Jaclyn Smith and Erik Estrada, from the TV police series CHiPs.
Tom Sherak, the Academy's president, says the group is trying to diversify its membership.
Critics say the 'white and old' voter bias regularly skews which films are chosen, with a preference for little watched but critically-acclaimed contenders - such as recent winners The Hurt Locker and The King's Speech - over crowd-pleasers such as Harry Potter.
Washington, one of the biggest black stars in Hollywood's history, said the academy should reflect America's racial make-up.
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