Will Smith has said he "betrayed the trust" of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as he resigned from the organisation following his "shocking, painful, and inexcusable" actions at the Oscars.
In a statement announcing his decision, the actor, 53, said he was "heartbroken" and would accept any consequences that emerged from his scheduled disciplinary hearing.
It comes less than a week on from the ceremony, during which the star took to the stage and slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
The joke referred to Pinkett Smith's shaved head. The actress has hair loss due to alopecia.
Moments later, Smith was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard and gave a tearful acceptance speech about the importance of protecting family.
Smith apologised onstage to the Academy - but not to Rock. He later issued an apology on Instagram, in which he apologised to Rock.
Oscars organiser the Academy said it had received Smith's resignation and would move forward with disciplinary proceedings against him, the details of which are to be discussed at a board meeting on 18 April.
"I have directly responded to the Academy's disciplinary hearing notice, and I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct," Smith said in his statement.
"My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable.
"The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy.
"I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.
"I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.
"So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate."
He added: "Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason."
A subsequent statement from Academy president David Rubin said: "We have received and accepted Mr Will Smith's immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
"We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr Smith for violations of the Academy's Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18."
Oscars producer Will Packer told the TV show Good Morning America that Smith had called him the morning after the ceremony to apologise for the incident.
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Packer said he initially thought the incident was something Rock and Smith had planned together as a skit.
He also revealed that following the incident, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had been "prepared" to arrest Smith, telling Rock he had been the victim of "battery".
The comedian had been "very dismissive" of the options given to him by LAPD officers and had "not wanted to make a bad situation worse", Packer told the programme.
Source: Press Association
