At the 97th Academy Awards, film creatives who died during the previous year were honoured in front of their peers and viewers in the yearly In Memoriam section — but fans quickly noticed that there were some faces missing, including Michelle Trachtenberg, who died just last week at the age of 39, and Tony Todd, a horror film icon.
In a post on X, one user called Trachtenberg’s omission “upsetting,” while another user, @ryan_reflects, shared photos of Trachtenberg’s film career on X, adding, “No love for Michelle Trachtenberg during the #Oscars in memoriam is wild.”
Although she was perhaps better known for her work in TV on shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, Trachtenberg had starred in a number of films, including Harriet the Spy (1996), 17 Again (2009), and Ice Princess (2005).
The recency of Trachtenberg’s death might have explained her exclusion, were it not for the fact that actor Gene Hackman received a moving tribute at the Academy Awards that included a personal speech from two-time costar Morgan Freeman. Hackman was found dead with his wife Betsy Arakawa the day after Trachtenberg’s death was reported.
Todd, who was known for starring in the Candyman and Final Destination horror franchises, died in November at the age of 69.
“Neither BAFTA nor The Academy included Tony Todd in their In Memoriam,” user @rxbeccajohnson wrote on X. “Livid doesn’t cover it.”
Other stars also left out
The Oscars paid tribute to Hollywood and film icons including Dame Maggie Smith, Donald Sutherland, Shelley Duvall, Gena Rowlands, James Earl Jones, Kris Kristofferson, M. Emmet Walsh and Joan Plowright, among many others during the annual In Memoriam section.
Other film creatives left off the list include popular French actor Alain Delon; Charmed and Beverly Hills: 90210 actor Shannen Doherty, who also starred in films such as the 1989 cult classic Heathers; British actor Olivia Hussey, known for portraying Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 Romeo and Juliet at just 15, and later starred in the cult horror favourite Black Christmas; and filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, whose Super Size Me was nominated for best documentary feature.
“NO michelle trachtenberg??? NO shannen Doherty ??? NO Tony Todd???? i’m SICK,” user @horrorsthetics wrote in a post on X.
“Wait, so the In Memoriam segment missed Alain Delon, Olivia Hussey, Tony Todd, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Shannon Doherty too? What is going on?” user Soraya Sebghati wrote in a post on X.
The Academy has not made an official statement regarding any omissions from the segment.
Fans find Lynch tribute lacking
Many fans were also dissatisfied with the length of time dedicated to David Lynch, the visionary filmmaker who died in January.
Lynch was given a special highlight at the end of the In Memoriam segment, along with several other key players, but some fans didn’t think that a roughly four second clip accurately reflected his contributions to filmmaking, considering how influential his surrealist style and body of work has been.
“I cannot fathom not giving david lynch an extensive tribute tonight. unbelievable,” user @404paigenotfnd wrote on X.
Drag queen and performer Katya wrote on X that the ceremony’s producers “better sleep with both eyes open,” after giving Lynch so little time.
Not giving David Lynch something more substantial than a 2 second in memoriam clip — #Oscars2025 you better sleep with both eyes open.
Lynch was nominated for best director three times and best adapted screenplay once for The Elephant Man. He received the Academy Honorary Award in 2019. His fellow director Steven Spielberg called Lynch a “singular, visionary dreamer” in a statement after Lynch died.
Some fans criticized the lengthy musical tribute honouring the James Bond franchise, noting that this time could’ve gone to a more in-depth tribute to Lynch.
Previous In Memoriam omissions
The In Memoriam section is a key part of the Oscars, but it’s also one of the segments that suffers the most criticism, as fans notice missing faces nearly every year, or disagree about which of those included deserve longer tributes.
In 2023, the Oscars In Memoriam did not include Anne Heche, Tom Sizemore, Paul Sorvino, Chaim Topol or actress Charlbi Dean, even though Dean had starred in one of that night’s best picture nominees, Triangle of Sadness.
Carol Channing was left out of the tributes in 2019, while Batman star Adam West and Oscar-winning actress Dorothy Malone weren’t included in the segment in 2018. Bill Paxton, who died the day before the 2017 Oscars ceremony, was left out from not only that year’s In Memoriam, but the following year’s as well.
