Academy explains Luke Perry’s omission from Oscars In Memoriam segment

Luke Perry’s omission from the motion picture academy’s In Memoriam segment at the Oscars on Sunday night did not go unnoticed by fans — especially in a year where he appeared in a film nominated for best picture.

The “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood” actor, who was 52 when he died in March after suffering a stroke, was omitted along with Disney star Cameron Boyce and longtime comedic actor Tim Conway. Other actors left out included Sid Haig, René Auberjonois, Robert Conrad and Orson Bean, all of whom worked primarily in TV, and Michael J. Pollard, who was Oscar-nominated in 1968. (Bean and Conrad died the weekend of the Oscars ceremony.)

“The Academy receives hundreds of requests to include loved ones and industry colleagues in the Oscars In Memoriam segment,” the film academy said Monday in a statement to E! News. “An executive committee representing every branch considers the list and makes selections for the telecast based on limited available time.”

Perry, Boyce, Conway, Auberjonois, Haig and Pollard are all included in the 2020 In Memoriam gallery on the organization’s website.

So yeah, omissions happen every year, but fans were still upset.

“Where is your memorial for Luke Perry and Cameron Boyce,” said one Twitter user. “Cmon you mentioned Kobe Bryant and he wasnt even a movie star ??? Shame Shame Shame.” (Bryant, of course, won an Oscar last year for the animated short “Dear Basketball.”)

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2020 Oscars In Memoriam segment

Note that Boyce, Conway and “Beverly Hills, 90210” actor Perry were all recognized in the In Memoriam segment at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in August and at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in January. Auberjonois died in December, and Haig, who was primarily a film actor, died two days before the Emmys’ broadcast date.

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