What to Know
The Oscars expanded the In Memoriam segment for this year’s ceremony due to the large number of notable deaths over the past year, including Robert Redford, Diane Keaton and Rob Reiner. Barbra Streisand sang a portion of The Way We Were from the film she starred in with Redford, while numerous stars appeared to pay tribute to Reiner, from Kiefer Sutherland to Meg Ryan. Diane Keaton was also remembered in a longer segment hosted by The Family Stone star Rachel McAdams.
But even an expanded segment couldn’t accommodate every single person the entertainment world lost between last year’s Oscar ceremony and this year’s.
Among the names not recognized on the TV broadcast were James Van Der Beek, Eric Dane, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Robert Carradine, June Lockhart, Harold and Maude star Bud Cort, and Brigitte Bardot.
Others who appeared only on the Academy’s website but not on the broadcast were George Wendt, Julian McMahon, James Ransone, Danielle Spencer, MASH star Loretta Swit, and Demond Wilson. Some of the figures who didn’t make it onto the broadcast, like Van Der Beek and Dane, were known more for their television work, but most had some film appearances on their resumes.
Other notable entertainers who died get a few moments of their work shown on screen included Catherine O’Hara, Robert Duvall, and Diane Ladd.
Last year, fans were disappointed not to see a mention of Harriet the Spy star Michelle Trachtenberg, who died just before the Oscars. Likewise, actors including Tony Todd, Chance Perdomo, Alain Delon, and Romeo and Juliet star Olivia Hussey were omitted, along with documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.
—
Pat Saperstein; Variety Entertainment News Service; Variety | © 2026 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
