People are raging after the Oscars left these huge celebs out of the In Memoriam tribute

The In Memoriam segment at the Oscars sparked backlash after several well-known actors were noticeably missing from the tribute.

Halfway through the ceremony, the Oscars paused the awards to honour members of the film industry who have died over the past year. The emotional segment featured tributes to figures including Tom Stoppard, Terence Stamp, Diane Ladd, Catherine O’Hara, Val Kilmer and Robert Duvall.

Rob Latour/Shutterstock

The memorial began with a tribute to director Rob Reiner, who died in December alongside his wife. Actor Billy Crystal took to the stage to remember the filmmaker, before being joined by actors who had appeared in some of Reiner’s most iconic films, including Stand By Me’s Kiefer Sutherland and The Princess Bride star Cary Elwes.

Another moving moment came when Rachel McAdams appeared to honour Diane Keaton, who died from bacterial pneumonia in October aged 79. Introducing the tribute, the actress described Keaton as a “legend with no end”.

Appearing visibly emotional, the Mean Girls star said: “For over 50 years, luminous on screen and indelible in life, believe me when I say, there isn’t an actress of my generation who is not inspired by and enthralled with her absolute singularity.”

I don’t know how Rachel McAdams got through her eulogy for Diane Keaton without breaking down during this In Memoriam. I’m a sobbing mess. #Oscar/ #Oscars pic.twitter.com/p86L1ZN7Hh

— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) March 16, 2026

Later in the segment, the audience stood to applaud Barbra Streisand as she paid tribute to her The Way We Were co-star Robert Redford, who died in September aged 89.

But despite the emotional tone, people quickly noticed several high-profile names had not been included in the televised montage.

Among those missing were Eric Dane and James Van Der Beek, both of whom died in February this year.

Dane, known to many for playing Dr Mark Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy and appearing in Euphoria, died on February 19 aged 53 following a diagnosis of ALS. Van Der Beek died just days earlier at 48 after battling colorectal cancer.

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Although both actors were best known for television roles, Dane in Grey’s Anatomy and Van Der Beek in Dawson’s Creek, they also appeared in multiple films during their careers.

On X, one person pointed out that Van Der Beek had also been overlooked, writing: “So weird not to do a tribute to james ver beek and eric dane??”

I was watching closely the whole time and OSCARS did not include Eric Dane and James Van Der Beek in the In Memoriam? #Oscars2026 pic.twitter.com/IARDu5l8MY

— Rod Magaru (@rodmagaru) March 16, 2026

The Academy does publish a longer In Memoriam list on its website each year, which includes additional names that do not appear in the live broadcast. Both Dane and Van Der Beek have since been included there alongside black-and-white photos.

They were not the only late stars people noticed were missing from the televised tribute.

People also pointed out that French cinema icon Brigitte Bardot, who died in December aged 91 after battling cancer, was absent from the ceremony’s memorial montage, despite also appearing on the Academy’s online tribute page.

Another name missing from the broadcast was Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who died in July at the age of 54 following an accidental drowning.

Even though the segment is intended to honour those the film industry has lost, every year the limited runtime means some figures only appear in the extended online memorial, something that often leads to debate.

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Featured image credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock