Niamh Shackleton
People aren't happy that a series of famous faces were missed off in the 2026 Oscars' In Memoriam.
The awards night In Memoriam segment has been going on for decades and marks a brief moment in the evening where respects are paid to actors who have passed in the last 12 months.
Arguably 2025 and early 2026 has been brutal for celebrity deaths. The world suddenly lost Home Alone star Catherine O'Hara on January 7, 2026, and weeks prior Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were murdered in their home in Los Angeles on December 14, 2025.
Other big names to have died recently include Diane Keaton, Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, and Diana Ladd — all of whom where mentioned at last night's Oscars (March 15).
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Reportedly this year's In Memoriam was extended in a bid to pay tribute to all these people, but some notable figures were still missed.
A lot of people have pointed out that Dawson's Creek alum Jams Van Der Beek, who died at the age of 48 last month from cancer, was missed out in the tribute.
Others also noted that Grey's Anatomy favorite Eric Dane was not mentioned either. He passed away shortly after Van Der Beek on February 19. He was just 53.
Some film fans have since suggested that this wasn't personal and they weren't mentioned because they were TV actors rather than being known for starring in movies.
They did feature in some movies over the course of their careers, however. Dane had starred in the likes of Marley & Me, Burlesque, Valentine's Day, and Dangerous Waters, while Van Der Beek was best known for starring in 90s/00s classics like Varsity Blues and The Rules of Attraction.
Another star to be seemingly been snubbed in the In Memoriam was Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who died suddenly in an accidental drowning incident in Costa Rica in July 2025.
Like Dane and Van Der Beek, he was better known for his television work and appeared in shows such as The Cosby Show, Sons of Anarchy, Suits, 9-1-1, and The Resident.
Brigitte Bardot was also missed out, something which one social media user said was 'a huge omission'.
The iconic French actress died at the age of 91 in December 2025. The late movie star had earned worldwide fame as one of the most recognisable faces of post-war cinema.
Others pointed out that Gene Hackman also wasn't mentioned. Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were discovered dead in their home in February 2025. Initially there were suspicions about their deaths, but an investigation went on to reveal that the couple had died from separate causes in a short period of time.
However, Hackman won't have been mentioned last night as he featured in last year's In Memoriam, having passed in the weeks running up to the 2025 Oscars. Morgan Freeman gave a moving eulogy about the actor at the time.
Per Variety, other celebrities to have not been mentioned included Robert Carradine, June Lockhart, and Bud Cort.
Dozens of actors who passed away in the last 12 months who weren't part of the ceremony's In Memoriam are on the Academy Awards' In Memoriam page on its website though.
Van Der Beek, Warner, Bardot, Carradine, Lockhart, and Cort are all listed in the tribute.
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