Every year, the Academy Awards celebrates the lives of actors and directors who
have sadly passed away – but in what has become an unfortunate tradition,
some notable celebrities don't make the cut. Keep watching to
hear about iconic actors the Oscars in memoriam segment completely snubbed.
The In Memoriam segment of the 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony was a sad look back
on the many talented people of Hollywood who have died within the last year. As always, this year's
segment featured a long list of names, including everyone from directors like Peter Bogdanovich
[bog-DA-nuh-vich] and Buddy Van Horn to actors like Norman Lloyd and Olympia Dukakis [do-KOK-us].
While every person in the montage got at least a moment of remembrance, the late
Sidney Poitier [PWAH-tee-ay], Betty White, and Ivan Reitman [RITE-min] all received extended,
mournful dedications by notable stars who previously worked with the deceased artists.
During the segment, Tyler Perry, Jamie Lee Curtis,
and Bill Murray all appeared separately on stage to remember their respective friends.
However, as with nearly every year, the Academy also made a number of notable omissions,
including two comedians who both sadly passed away within the last year. Of course,
while most people on Twitter were busy buzzing about the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident,
some fans were probably quite unhappy with these particular exclusions.
For reasons that are unclear, the Academy left out two of the last year's most notable deaths
in the world of comedy. Unfortunately neither "Full House" star Bob Saget,
nor "SNL" star Norm Macdonald were included in the In Memoriam segment.
Despite the fact that the actors and comedians both died within the last seven months,
the Academy does not appear to have acknowledged their passing in the awards ceremony.
Macdonald died at the age of 61 on September 14, 2021, nearly nine years after being diagnosed with
leukemia [loo-KEE-mee-ah]. Despite the long amount of time between Macdonald's diagnosis and passing,
his death came as a shock to much of the world. The former "Weekend Update" anchor
chose not to share news of his health publicly but did inform a few of his closest friends.
Notably, this list of friends included Saget.
In the aftermath of Macdonald's death, Saget recorded a tearful,
37-minute remembrance of his longtime friend and shared it with his followers on YouTube.
He was, well he was
one of the most important people in my life, and one of the sweetest.
Sadly, Saget also died only a few months later on January 9 at the age of 65, after suffering
an accidental head injury in a Florida hotel. Upon his passing, many fans remembered Saget for his
roles as Danny Tanner on "Full House" and as Old Ted Mosby [MOES-bee] on "How I Met Your Mother."
The snub of both performers is especially notable to fans not just because of the
stature of Saget and Macdonald's work, but also because each performer made
their own impact on the world of film throughout their legendary careers.
Although both Bob Saget and Norm Macdonald were best known for their work on TV and the stage,
they do have film credits to their name. Macdonald was a regular of Adam Sandler movies,
beginning with the classic 1995 comedy " Billy Madison." From there, he went on to
appear in "Grown Ups," "Jack and Jill," and "The Ridiculous 6." Saget's own film career
included small roles in movies like "Half Baked" and "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd."
However, his most enduring film legacy may just be
his work as a director. In addition to several documentaries and TV movies,
Saget helmed the spoof "Farce of the Penguins" and the indie comedy "Benjamin."
...did everything
go wrong for me? Rob: "It was when your wife left you." Bob" Yeah." Rob: "Oh yeah."
Saget also directed Macdonald several times throughout both performers' careers.
In the world of film, Macdonald starred in Saget's 1998 dark comedy "Dirty Work," about two down on
their luck brothers who raise money for their father's heart surgery by performing unscrupulous
acts of revenge for paying clients. While it's not necessarily the type of movie that is typically
recognized at the Oscars, the fact that both performers did work in film makes it even tougher
for fans to get over Saget and Macdonald's exclusion from the In Memoriam segment.
The absence of some notable dearly departed celebrities in the In Memoriam segment is an
Oscars tradition about as common as stunning gowns and surprise upsets,
and this year, it was, unfortunately, Bob Saget and Norm Macdonald who missed the cut.
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