Oscars In Memoriam 2023 Snubs: Anne Heche, Charlbi Dean, Paulie Walnuts and More!

By Radhamely De Leon
Published March 13, 2023, 10:14 a.m. ET

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In Memoriam

The 2023 Oscars proved to be an emotional affair. There were huge wins (like the seven Oscars awarded to Everything, Everywhere, All At Once) and even bigger losses (ahem, Best Supporting Actress), but one of the most moving parts of the night was the In Memoriam montage. 

Backed by a touching performance from Lenny Kravitz, the Oscars In Memoriam segment honored some of the industry greats we’ve lost since the last Oscars ceremony. John Travolta gave a fittingly heartbreaking introduction to the montage.

“They’ve touched our hearts and made us smile and became dear friends,” he said, before adding through tears, “Who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to.” 

Some noted that this was a tribute to his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John, who passed away last year after a long battle with cancer. But many others were noticeably missing from last night’s In Memoriam segment, leaving viewers at home seriously shocked by some of the major figures the Oscars snubbed.

One of the biggest surprises was Charlbi Dean, the 32-year-old actress and star of Triangle of Sadness, which was up for three Oscars this year. 

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“I want to take a moment to also remember Charlbi Dean, breakout star of TRIANGLE OF SADNESS, who lost her life in August at the age of 32,” one user tweeted. “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.”

Chaim Topol was also not included in the memorial segment. Some inferred that this could have been a production issue since the actor passed away just last week at the age of 89. But this was a major snub considering the famed actor played Tevye the Dairyman in Fiddler on the Roof roughly 3,500 times throughout his life and received an Oscar nomination for best actor in 1972. 

Sacheen Littlefeather was also noticeably missing from the memorial video. The Native American activist and actress made headlines when she took the stage and refused Marlon Brando’s Best Actor award in 1973 due to Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans. Fans online viewed it as adding insult to injury considering how the Academy and the industry treated Littlefeather in the aftermath. 

But that’s not all. The list goes on and on (and on) – the beloved Anne Heche and Leslie Jordan didn’t get a mention, nor did The Sopranos star Tony Sirico (aka Paulie Walnuts). Instead, this year’s In Memoriam segment focused more on some of the important figures from behind the scenes.

Tom Sizemore, the Saving Private Ryan star who died at 61 earlier this month, was also noticeably snubbed at last night’s show.

“The Oscars have really dropped the ball with their In Memoriam presentation over the last decade. Go back to moving clips, not photos, and no need to have an on-stage performer at all. (Leaving Anne Heche and Tom Sizemore out was baffling),” one user tweeted.

It may be easy to chalk it all up to a production oversight since the team behind the show is likely working on tight deadlines to make it to broadcast, but leaving out so many major stars almost feels like it defeats the purpose of the memorial. 

Despite the outcry they receive every time, this seems to be becoming an annual occurrence with the Oscars.

A complete In Memoriam list can be found on the Oscars website, which includes names not featured in last night’s performance.