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Oscars 'In Memoriam' snubs: Adam West, Dorothy Malone, and 16 other missing stars

Every year, a few minutes of the Academy Awards are dedicated to the filmmakers, producers, crew members, and performers who passed away during the last 12 months. That tribute segment lasts only the length of a song (this year, Tom Petty’s “Room at the Top,” hauntingly sung by Eddie Vedder), so inevitably, some deserving names are excluded, including original Batman star Adam West.

This year, those snubs included a golden-age Hollywood star, a noted horror director, a famed songwriter, and many actors better known for TV than film. Here, a list of stars whose absence was noted by the press and social media in the hours following the ceremony.


Dorothy Malone: The winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for 1956’s Written on the Wind, Malone also appeared in The Big Sleep and later in Basic Instinct.

David Ogden Stiers: The M*A*S*H star, who performed the voice of Cogsworth in 1991’s Beauty and the Beast and appeared in several Woody Allen films, passed away the day before the Oscars.

Adam West: The original big-screen Batman, West played the role in 1966’s Batman: The Movie, as well as the 1960s television series.

Della Reese: The Touched by an Angel star’s films included Beauty Shop and Harlem Nights.

Chris Cornell: The Soundgarden singer contributed to several film soundtracks, notably writing and performing the theme song for 2006’s Casino Royale.

John Mahoney: Best known as Martin Crane on Frasier, Mahoney had notable roles in films like Moonstruck and Say Anything.

Glen Campbell: The singer-songwriter was a nominee for Best Original Song in 2015 and also had a supporting role in the 1969 Western True Grit.

Tobe Hooper: He never came near an Oscar, but this horror legend directed Poltergeist and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Rose Marie: A child vaudeville performer, Rose Marie was best known for The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Frank Vincent: The actor who played Phil Leotardo on The Sopranos had roles in Goodfellas, Casino, and Raging Bull.

Robert Guillaume: The star of 80s TV series Benson was also the voice of Rafiki in The Lion King and appeared in Tim Burton’s Big Fish.

Stephen Furst: Furst began his long acting career playing Kent Dorfman in Animal House.

David Cassidy: A 70s teen idol, the Partridge Family star rarely took film roles.

Lewis Gilbert: The director of several James Bond films had a Best Picture nominee with 1966’s Alfie.

Powers Boothe: A recognizable character actor, Boothe had roles in Red Dawn, Nixon, and The Avengers.

Dick Gregory: A famed comedian and activist in the 1960s, Gregory had small roles in a few films, including 2017’s The Leisure Seeker.

Nelsan Ellis: The True Blood star played Martin Luther King Jr. in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, among other film roles.

Reg E. Cathey: Cathey’s long TV and film career included the movies What About Bob?, Se7en, and Fantastic Four.

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