An image of late US actor James Earl Jones is seen on a screen during an ‘in memoriam’ segment at … [+]
AFP via Getty ImagesFilm legends Gene Hackman, James Earl Jones, Maggie Smith, Gena Rowlands and Donald Sutherland were honored during the Oscars’ In Memoriam segment at the 97th Academy Awards Sunday night in Los Angeles.
The Oscars, of course, annually honor talent in front of and behind the camera with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts In Memoriam segment. Hackman, who died recently, was honored with an individual tribute from his fellow Unforgiven and Under Suspicion co-star Morgan Freeman before the traditional segment began.
“Like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone’s work,” Freeman said of Hackman, who won a Best Actor Oscar for 1971’s The French Connection and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 1992’s Unforgiven.
“Gene always said, ‘I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people remember as someone who tried to do good work,’” Freeman added. “So I think I speak for us all when I say, ‘Gene, you’ll be remembered for that and for so much more.’ Rest in peace, my friend.”
Among the other showbiz legends remembered during the In Memoriam segment were actors Louis Gossett Jr., Kris Kristofferson, Teri Garr, M. Emmet Walsh, John Amos, Shelley Duvall, Bill Cobbs, Joan Plowright, Bob Newhart and Dabney Coleman.
Also among those honored during the segment were producers Roger Corman, Albert S. Ruddy, Fred Roos, John Landau, Paula Weinstein and Lynda Obst, directors Norman Jewison and David Lynch, and writer-directors Robert Towne, Charles Shyer and Jeff Baena, and songwriters Will Jennings and Richard Sherman.
Quincy Jones Was Honored By Oprah Winfrey And Whoopi Goldberg
The 97th Oscars also included a tribute to iconic composer Quincy Jones from Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg.
Winfrey pointed out that while Jones was a Grammy legend and one of the architects of the classic song “We Are the World,” the “man, our beloved Q, had an equally powerful impact on the world of film as a composer and producer.”
“When we’re talking about Black excellence, we are talking about Quincy,” Goldberg added. “In 1967, Quincy Jones was the first Black composer nominated in the Original Song category for ‘The Eyes of Love’ in the film Banning.”
Goldberg noted that Jones had received seven Oscar nominations throughout his career, “including The Color Purple, which me and [Oprah] were a part of,” Goldberg said with a smile.
“Quincy was loved [and] lived out loud in human form and he poured that love into others and into his work,” Winfrey said. “My life changed forever and for the better after meeting him. He actually discovered me for The Color Purple, which was my first film.”
Publications And Fans Called Out Oscars Over In Memoriam Omissions
While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences includes a fair number of people from all professional backgrounds in the film industry, the segment also tends to generate attention in publications and fans on social media over actors who did not make the on-air In Memoriam tribute.
Generally, the Academy focuses on actors and craftspeople who worked mostly in film, which may explain why Michelle Trachtenberg — who died last week at age 39 — was not included in the segment.
While Trachtenberg had credits in the film business —chief among them her breakout role in Harriet the Spy — she was mostly a huge fixture on television in series including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl.
As such, Trachtenberg will likely be included in the In Memoriam segment at the next Primetime Emmy Awards.
According to Variety, other notable actors and who didn’t appear in In Memoriam segment included actors Tony Todd, Chance Perdomo, Alain Delon, Tony Roberts, Linda Lavin, James Darren, Mitzi Gaynor, Martin Mull, Shannen Doherty, Olivia Hussey and documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.
Read the full article here
