The decision about which stars are included — or excluded — from the tribute at the Oscars comes down to time.
WASHINGTON — As with every year’s Academy Awards broadcast, the 2025 Oscars included a tribute to the greats Hollywood lost in the past year, from actor Gene Hackman to director David Lynch.
But some notable names were left off this year’s video memorial,
Michelle Trachtenberg, who starred in “Harriet the Spy,” was one of the famous names excluded. Trachtenberg died days before the show at age 39.
Other notable omissions included actors Tony Todd, Chance Perdomo, Alain Delon, Tony Roberts, Linda Lavin, James Darren, Mitzi Gaynor, Martin Mull and Olivia Hussey, along with documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.
Why are some stars left out of the tribute?
The decision about which stars are included — or excluded — from the In Memoriam tribute at the Oscars comes down to time.
The four-hour show has a significant amount of awards to get through, and only has a limited amount of time dedicated to tributes. The Academy posts a longer list of those Hollywood has lost to its website, and included a QR code linking to the tribute page at the end of the video that was televised during Sunday’s show.
Who was included in the In Memoriam?
Morgan Freeman kicked off the In Memoriam when he gave a tribute to two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman, four days after Hackman was found dead at his home.
“This week our community lost a giant, and I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman,” he said.
“He received two Oscars and more importantly he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world.” Freeman and Hackman co-starred in the 1992 Clint Eastwood Western “Unforgiven” – the movie that earned Hackman his second Oscar. They were also both in 2000’s “Under Suspicion.”
The In Memoriam section honored such luminaries as Terri Garr, Donald Sutherland, Louis Gossett Jr, Shelley Duvall, David Lynch, Bob Newhart, Gena Rowlands, Maggie Smith and James Earl Jones.
A separate section in the telecast honored Quincy Jones.
The full tribute video can be watched here:
