The Emmys have an opportunity to highlight many who are gone but not forgotten, as there’s a slate of acting contenders across multiple categories worthy of posthumous honors.
From comedian Richard Lewis to veterans such as Treat Williams and Ron Cephas Jones to the youthful wonder of Chance Perdomo, many actors deserving of recognition are up for consideration.
History was made when the 2022 Primetime Emmy nominations were announced, as Chadwick Boseman (“What If…?”) and Jessica Walter (“Archer”) became the first pair of direct competitors to be recognized posthumously in the voice-over category. Last year, the late Ray Liotta earned a posthumous nom for supporting actor in a limited series for his portrayal of a determined father whose son is undercover in prison in Apple TV+’s “Black Bird.” His co-star Paul Walter Hauser won the statuette and dedicated the award to the late performer.
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Aside from Liotta, 10 other late actors have received nominations following their deaths, including Jack Hawkins (“QB VII”), Walter McGinn (“Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years”), Jack Albertson (“My Body, My Child”), Richard Burton (“Ellis Island”) and J.T. Walsh (“Hope”).
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This year, two beloved performers from limited series could compete against one another.
Williams, a veteran actor whose star-making performance in the 1979 musical “Hair” led to a diverse and busy career, including toplining the WB series “Everwood,” was an adored figure in Hollywood. His versatility and ease with drama and comedy kept him working until his death in 2023. His last onscreen role was CBS founder and chairman Bill Paley in FX’s limited series “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.” The Ryan Murphy-produced series revolves around author Truman Capote and the New York socialites of the 1960s and ’70s, including Paley’s wife, Babe Paley.
Jones, best known for his Emmy-winning role as William Hill on NBC’s “This Is Us,” may garner votes from his colleagues for his turn in the fourth installment of the “Genius” anthology series, “MLK/X.” Jones had already scored four Emmy nominations, winning twice — in 2018 and 2020 — in the guest actor category for the NBC hit. Jones’ daughter, Jasmine, won her first Emmy for performance in a short-form comedy or drama series in 2020, making them the first father-daughter duo to win Emmys in the same year.
While the critically acclaimed “MLK/X” may have flown under the radar, especially given the immense competition among the limited series races this year, Jones’ enduring legacy will keep him in the discussion.
Larry David’s comedy series “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on HBO is gearing up for a final showing at the Primetime Emmys. A notable part of the campaign is the recognition of the late comic Lewis, who died in February. His bid for supporting comedy actor will put him up against Perdomo, who starred in Prime Video’s superhero romp “Gen V” and tragically died in March.
When a life is cut short so unexpectedly, it often sparks a sense of curiosity among voters, leading them to watch a series if they hadn’t been doing so already. The promise of what could have been one of our finest young actors in Perdomo is worthy of serious consideration.
Alice Pearce was the first actor to be nominated for and win an Emmy posthumously, awarded the supporting actress in a comedy trophy as Gladys Kravitz in “Bewitched” two months after she died in 1966. Since then, beloved thespians that have followed Pearce include her co-star Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara) two years later, in addition to Boseman, Raúl Juliá (“The Burning Season” in 1995) and Diana Hyland (“The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” in 1977).
The power entertainment provides can best be summed up by a quote from the film “The Last Jedi,” as said by Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker: “No one’s ever really gone.”
Ain’t it the truth.
Read: All Primetime Emmy predictions in every category on Variety’s Awards Circuit.