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The 2026 Academy Awards ceremony broadcast featured an extended in memoriam segment to acknowledge the unfortunately high number of actors, artists, and filmmakers who have died over the past 12 months.
The ceremony featured tributes to Rob Reiner, Diane Keaton, and Robert Redford, while also remembering similarly iconic Hollywood personalities, including Robert Duvall, Val Kilmer, Michael Madsen, Diane Ladd, Graham Greene, Terence Stamp, Robert Carradine, Udo Kier, and more.
However, the Academy is attracting some criticism for a number of omissions from the broadcast in memoriam. While it’s certainly accurate that actors like James Van Der Beek, Eric Dane, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner are far more widely associated with their work in television, it’s equally true that they weren’t total strangers to film. Van Der Beek was the star of 1999 cult teen comedy-drama Varsity Blues, as well as The Rules of Attraction – a 2002 black comedy based on the novel by American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis that has also attracted a cult following. For his part, films featuring performances from Dane include X-Men: The Last Stand, Marley & Me, and Bad Boys: Ride or Die, amongst others.
The segment also omitted controversial French cinema icon Brigitte Bardot, Harold and Maude star Bud Cort, prolific Bollywood veteran Dharmendra, and Canadian film producer and IMAX pioneer David Keighley, who supervised the production of nearly 500 IMAX films.
However, all of those named above are currently featured on the Academy’s website as part of an online in memoriam, which acknowledges a sobering 300 actors, artists, and filmmakers who passed away between the 2025 and 2026 Oscar ceremonies.
On a lighter note, the full list of winners for the 98th Academy Awards is now available to view on IGN.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.
