The Oscars isn’t just to celebrate the best to come out of Hollywood over the last year but also honor those in the film industry who have passed away.
In Memoriam Oscars 2026: These are the directors, actors and actresses who left us in 2025
Hollywood’s biggest names will be gathering at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, March 15 for the 98th Academy Awards. The ceremony will recognize with a golden ‘Oscar’ statuette the best performances and works from last year from those that were nominated by the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Sometime before the most awaited awards are handed out, the celebrations of the night will pause and the lights in the auditorium will be dimmed for the In Memoriam segment. This sober dedication honors those who have made significant contributions to the film industry that passed away the previous year.
2026 Oscars In Memoriam
The list of actors and actresses, directors, and those who have made the soundtracks and brought movies to life over the years that will be honored at the 2026 Oscars hasn’t been released yet by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. However, the film industry lost some of its most beloved in 2025.
David Lynch and Gene Hackman, who both passed away prior to the 97th Academy Awards, were honored last year. Here’s a look at some of the other greats that died in 2025 who are likely to be honored on Sunday.
Val Kilmer
The actor known for his roles as Jim Morrison in ‘The Doors’ (1991) and Batman in ‘Batman Forever’ (1995), and perhaps best as Iceman in ‘Top Gun’ (1986), a role he originally tried to get out of playing, Val Kilmer succumbed to pneumonia at age 65 on April 1.
Robert Redford
The actor and Oscar-winning director for ‘Ordinary People’ (1980) passed away on Sep. 16 at the age of 89. Robert Redford played a variety of roles over the decades in scores of films alongside many Hollywood greats like the late Paul Newman in ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ and Barbra Streisand ‘The Way We Were’.
It is reported that Streisand is in talks to sing at the 2026 Oscars as part of an In Memoriam tribute segment in honor of her former co-star.
Diane Keaton
The Oscar-winning actress for her role Woody Allen’s ‘Annie Hall’, Diane Keaton died at the age of 79 on Oct. 11. Among her other memorable roles was as Michael Corleone’s wife and then ex-wife Kay in ‘The Godfather’ franchise.
Rob Reiner
One of the most beloved actors and directors in Hollywood and beyond, Rob Reiner, along with his wife Michele Singer, was murdered on Dec. 14. He was 78 years old. He began as an actor in the role of Michael Stivic in the 1970s sitcom ‘All in the Family’ but gained even greater fame as a director with one of the hottest streaks of hits on the silver screen of any director in the film industry during the 1980s.
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