The 2023 Oscars In Memoriam Segment Had A Surprising Amount Of Snubs

The Oscars are all about celebrating the best actors, filmmakers, and movies from the past 12 months. However, every ceremony features a moment of reflection that honors the most notable filmmakers who passed away within the last year. 

The 95th edition of the Academy Awards was no different as it boasted an emotional In Memoriam segment that was accompanied by a musical performance by Lenny Kravitz and a heartfelt introduction from John Travolta. The montage included a long list of names, such as Olivia Newton-John, James Caan, Angela Lansbury, Raquel Welch, Wolfgang Petersen, and songwriter Burt Bacharach — along with many other notable celebrities who passed away in recent times.  

That said, this year's In Memoriam also left out some notable names, including "Saving Private Ryan" star Tom Sizemore, who recently died aged 61. Anne Heche, the "Donnie Brasco" and "Volcano" star who had a lengthy career in both film and television, was also noticeably absent from the segment in question. Elsewhere, Leslie Jordan, Gilbert Gottfried, Cindy Williams, Paul Sorvino, Tony Sirico, and Fred Ward didn't make the cut, despite their notable contributions to Hollywood throughout the years. However, the Academy's biggest mishap was arguably leaving out a performer who starred in a film that was actually up for nomination in three categories at the 2023 ceremony.

Despite the fact that "Triangle of Sadness" was in contention for the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay awards, the In Memoriam failed to acknowledge the death of Charlbi Dean. The actress plays Yaya in the Ruben Östlund-directed black comedy, and Oscars viewers were quick to point out the Academy's ignorance on social media.

Multiple fans felt that Dean's omission was bad in general, but her association with "Triangle of Sadness" makes the Academy's shortsightedness even worse as she's a big part of the movie. "She was just at the beginning of her acting career and had so much ahead of her. I'm sad the Oscars failed to honor her," @maeisafraid wrote, echoing the views of many viewers. "[The] academy not including charlbi dean in the tribute is disgusting rest in peace queen," @EllasDirection added.

For some viewers, the omission of Dean put a dampener on an event that they enjoyed, for the most part. "I'm still troubled by the speech interruptions and the lack of Charlbi Dean in the In Memoriam, but yeah, it was a solid ceremony, @Deltanz noted. Of course, this omission wasn't the only one to rub some social media users the wrong way.

Paul Sorvino was a respected actor whose career began in the 1970s and lasted until 2022. He appeared in many notable films throughout the years, including "Nixon," "Cruising," and "Romeo + Juliet." That said, his performance as Paul Cicero in Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" is arguably the one he's most remembered for.

With so many impressive credits to his name, Oscars viewers were shocked — and in some cases angered — when they noticed that Sorvino wasn't included in the In Memoriam montage. "Paul Sorvino not making the Oscars Memoriam segment is likely the biggest snub in Memoriam segment history," @thatsmycutbruh stated. "What the heck did Paul Sorvino do wrong for not being honored in the Oscars' In Memoriam?" a social media user by the name of @ComplaintsOfc asked afterward.

Some viewers, including Twitter user @PaddiePaul, even took it upon themselves to let the Oscars committee know about the mistake. "Hey #Oscars, when you did the In Memorial tribute, you forgot to include Paul Sorvino! Goodfellas! Hello!" 

The reason for these snubs is unknown at the time of this writing. The Oscars can add entries to the In Memoriam segment up until the day of the ceremony, so there's no reason why Sorvino and the other people who were left out couldn't have been added at the last minute — unless they were forgotten or leaving them out of the segment was intended from the get-go.