Actors Who Were Snubbed From The 2024 Emmy's In Memoriam Section

Every year, awards shows honor the people the entertainment industry lost that year — and for these oddly timed Emmy Awards, that task was made that much more difficult due to the fact that the ceremony was delayed by several months. Due to the historic double strike that took place throughout a decent chunk of 2023, the Emmys, which were originally slated to air in September, ended up airing just about one week after the Golden Globes.

Unfortunately, Hollywood lost a lot of luminaries in 2023, including heavyweights like Matthew Perry, Harry Belafonte, Alan Arkin, Lance Reddick, and Andre Braugher. It is a truth universally acknowledged, however, that people inevitably end up getting left off of the "in memoriam" list at awards shows every single year. Here are the celebrated and talented performers we lost in 2023 who, for whatever reason, did not appear in the Emmys In Memoriam segment this year. 

Irish actor Ray Stevenson's name was left out during the In Memoriam segment at the 2024 Emmys — and to say this is a huge omission is an understatement. Though the series wasn't nominated, Stevenson made quite an impression as Baylan Skoll in the original "Star Wars" television series "Ahsoka" alongside Rosario Dawson. That's to say nothing of Stevenson's lengthy career up until that point; the actor appeared in everything from "Dexter" to the "Divergent" series to "Black Sails" to the beloved HBO original series "Rome." In the years before his death, Stevenson showed up on the small screen in "Vikings," "The Spanish Princess," and the aforementioned "Ahsoka," and on the big screen in the "Thor" franchise and the Indian Telugu hit "RRR."

Stevenson passed away on May 21, 2023 while working on his newest film "Cassino in Ischia" in Italy. He was 58, and would have turned 59 on May 25. As of this writing, Stevenson's caused of death has not been publicly disclosed.

Likely best known for his role as the kindly, eccentric, and wise wizard Albus Dumbledore from the "Harry Potter" films, Michael Gambon was a giant of the screen and stage in both the United Kingdom and the rest of the world. Aside from playing Dumbledore, Gambon — who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 — appeared in well-regarded films like "Gosford Park," Oscar winner "The King's Speech," "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," and even the "Paddington" movies, where he voiced Uncle Pastuzo. On the small screen, Gambon played pivotal roles in projects like HBO's "Angels in America" miniseries, "Doctor Who," "The Casual Vacancy," and a 2017 adaptation of "Little Women" where he played Mr. Laurence.

Gambon died on September 27, 2023 at the age of 82 after suffering from pneumonia, survived by his wife Anne Miller and their son Fergus. He left behind quite a legacy, making it pretty surprising that the Emmys in memoriam overlooked him.

Right at the end of 2023, Hollywood lost one of its most versatile and beloved performers. Tom Wilkinson was known for, well, basically everything; he appeared in movies like "Shakespeare in Love," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Batman Begins," "Valkyrie," and "The Grand Budapest Hotel," just to name a few, and he earned Academy Award nominations for his roles in "In the Bedroom" and "Michael Clayton." 

As far as television goes, Wilkinson was a huge presence there as well. In 2008, he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for portraying Benjamin Franklin in HBO's popular miniseries "John Adams." In 2023, he reprised his role from the original 1997 film in its Disney+ and Hulu television sequel "The Full Monty."

Wilkinson, who was married to British actress Diana Hardcastle from 1988 until his death, passed away at 75 years old on December 30, 2023. Though his death was at the very end of the year, it's still shocking that the Emmys didn't include him ... particularly since he won one.

To aspiring stage actors, Suzanne Shepherd was a legend. Not only did she study under the famous teacher Sanford Meisner, she became the first ever female instructor to teach his technique. She also co-founded the Midwestern theater troupe Compass Players with Alan Alda and Alan Arkin (who also died in 2023), which performed shows in both Chicago and St. Louis. 

Beyond that, Shepherd was known for her roles in movies like "Mystic Pizza," "Goodfellas," and "Requiem for a Dream," and there's no question that her most famous television role was that of Mary DeAngelis, mother to Edie Falco's Carmela on "The Sopranos." Shepherd also played a small yet vital recurring role on "Blue Bloods," appearing as Detective Anthony Abetemarco's mother Lucille. (As it happens, Steve Schirripa, who played Abetermarco, was also on "The Sopranos" as Bobby Baccalieri).

On November 17, 2023, Shepherd passed away at her home in New York, with her cause of death reported as kidney failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was 89.

An actress and famous American bombshell, Raquel Welch made a huge impression on Hollywood during her lengthy career. After her deerskin bikini in the film "One Million Years B.C." in 1966 caught the world's attention, Welch became a superstar, appearing in movies like "Bedazzled," "The Last of Sheila," and "The Wild Party" early in her career. Later on, she had a particularly memorable turn in "Legally Blonde" as the standoffish ex-wife of a murder victim. On television, Welch mostly stuck to single-episode appearances on shows like "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "8 Simple Rules," and "Seinfeld" (as herself in the classic episode "The Summer of George").

Welch passed away on February 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, with her cause of death listed as cardiac arrest. What made her passing even sadder was the revelation that at the end of her life, Welch suffered from Alzheimer's disease. The world lost this screen siren too soon and too tragically, and it's truly insult to injury that she was left out of the Emmys in memoriam segment.

When it comes to celebrities we lost in 2023, few names loom larger than Tina Turner. The "Queen of Rock 'n Roll," known for songs like "What's Love Got to Do With It," appeared in tons of concert films, including "Soul to Soul," "Gimme Shelter," and "Good Vibrations from Central Park," and appeared in movies like "Tommy," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," and "The Last Action Hero." Turner also played herself during one episode of the classic sitcom "Ally McBeal."

Somehow, the 2023 Emmys managed to stage a full Ally McBeal reunion during the telecast without paying tribute to Turner. Turner, who was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and received a kidney transplant from her husband Erwin Bach in 2017, eventually succumbed to her illness. The powerhouse singer died on May 24, 2023 at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, at the age of 83.

English actor Julian Sands was somehow left out of the 2024 Emmys In Memoriam segment, which is particularly distressing when you consider the extremely tragic circumstances of his death. Sands was known for a wide variety of projects; throughout his career, he appeared in movies like "A Room with a View," Dario Argento's adaptation of "The Phantom of the Opera," "Naked Lunch," "Leaving Las Vegas," "Mercy," "Ocean's Thirteen," and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." On the small screen, Sands was primarily known for small stints on shows like "Chicago Hope," "The L Word," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Person of Interest," "Dexter," "The Blacklist," and "Elementary," but he also played terrorist mastermind Vladimir Bierko during Season 5 of "24."

Sands went hiking in California's San Gabriel Mountains shortly after his 65th birthday in January of 2023 and was eventually reported missing. The search seemed futile at first; Sands' phone didn't appear to be traceable, and officials said there were potential avalanches along his hiking route. This story ends tragically; on June 24, human remains were discovered, and they were confirmed to be Sands' remains three days later.

Lee Sun-kyun is probably best known for his role as the wealthy patriarch Park Dong-ik in Bong Joon-ho's 2019 Oscar-winning masterpiece "Parasite," but he was an incredibly accomplished actor beyond that film, and yet, was overlooked by the Emmys. The actor was a staple of the small screen; in 2007, Lee appeared in the popular South Korean dramas "Coffee Prince" and "Behind the White Tower," which made him a bona fide star. In 2021, Lee starred in the Apple TV+ original series "Mr. Brain," which cast the actor as a neurologist attempting to unlock the secrets of "brain-syncing," meaning that he could possibly gain memories from the dead. In doing so, he could potentially understand his son's mysterious death. The role flew under the radar compared to something as buzzy as "Parasite," but it still earned Lee a nomination for an International Emmy.

Before Lee's death, reports arose that he was being investigated by South Korean authorities for drug use, and things only devolved from there. Not only was Lee barred from leaving the country, but he underwent a significant investigation and eventually claimed that he was tricked and that his drug possession was part of a blackmail plot. Lee was found dead in his car on December 27, 2023, and it's alleged that he died by suicide when a charcoal briquette used to induce carbon monoxide poisoning was discovered next to him. 

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