Oscars 2019: Carol Channing, Stanley Donen, more left out of In Memoriam segment
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President John Bailey acknowledged to viewers before introducing this year’s In Memoriam segment at the Oscars that not everyone could make the cut. Still, some omissions left viewers smarting.
Among the most notable late greats not included was Carol Channing, best known for her work on sitcoms and variety shows but also an accomplished film actress — indeed, an Oscar nominee even, for her 1967 breakout Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Among other performers left off, many on social media noticed the absence of beloved character actor Dick Miller, who appeared in more than 100 films across his career, including Gremlins, The Little Shop of Horrors, and The Terminator; frequent Clint Eastwood collaborator Sondra Locke, who received an Oscar nomination as well for her turn in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, her film debut; and Emmy-nominated favorites Reg E. Cathey (House of Cards, The Wire) and John Mahoney.
Others expressed their dismay that neither independent film titan Mark Urman (Murderball, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead) nor On the Town and Singin’ in the Rain director Stanley Donen didn’t make the cut. (In the case of Donen, at least, it was likely a matter of timing: He died on Thursday.)