The Oscars paid a touching tribute to many stars who died in the past year, including Catherine O’Hara and Rob Reiner, but did not mention others, such as Brigitte Bardot
This year’s Oscars ‘in memoriam’ tribute marked the tragic deaths of many film stars, but left out some huge names, from Brigitte Bardot to James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane.
The awards ceremony took a moment to pay tribute to the stars of the big screen who died in the past year. They began with a personal tribute from Billy Crystal to his friend and co-worker Rob Reiner, who was killed alongside his wife Michele in late 2025. Billy choked up as he spoke about his friend, calling his death an “immeasurable loss”.
His words were followed by a tribute to Catherine O’Hara and Diane Keaton from Rachel McAdams, and a musical tribute to Robert Redford from Barbra Streisand. The Oscars also recognised several more stars in their video montage, including Claudia Cardinale, Robert Duvall and Val Kilmer. However, many beloved stars were left off the list.
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Among those left out was Brigitte Bardot. The actress, who won several awards in France, died in December 2025 aged 91. She was a controversial figure by the time of her death, as the And God Created Woman star had been vocal about her political opinions, including her criticism of interracial marriage, immigration and the Me Too Movement.
Brigitte’s controversial legacy was such that her inclusion in the tributes to dead stars at the French film awards, the Cesar Awards, was met with boos and the shout of ‘racist’ from the audience.
Other stars left out included James Van Der Beek, who died aged 48 in February this year. Before his death from cancer, the father of six had a made a name for himself both on TV and in films such as Varsity Blues. Likewise, Eric Dane, who starred in the X Men films, was left off the list of tributes, after he died earlier this year from ALS.
The Tuskegee Airmen actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner also did not appear on the list. He died in July 2025, aged just 54, whilst learning to surf in Costa Rica. The other missing actors included Meet Me In St Louis’ June Lockhart and Harold and Maude’s Bud Cort.
Forever Young star George Wendt also didn’t appear, nor did Fantastic Four’s Doctor Doom Julian McMahon, It’s James Ransone, MASH’s Loretta Swit and The Butler’s Demond Wilson. Indian actor Dharmendra, who appeared in more than 300 Hindi films, was also left off the list, as was Howards End actress Prunella Scales.
Fans were not happy with the omissions, with one writing: “The segment runs for 15 minutes and not even a mention of Brigitte.” Another added: “Brigitte was a huge omission.”
This is not the first time the awards have not included huge names in their ‘in memoriam’ tribute. Ice Princess star Michelle Trachtenberg was left off last year’s Oscars tribute. Previously the awards have also not mentioned Chance Perdomo, Alain Delon, Tony Todd and Romeo and Juliet star Olivia Hussey.
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