Oscars In Memoriam 2026: Who is The Most “Important” Celebrity That Died In The Last Year?

It’s Hollywood’s Biggest Night, and we already know what the most important moment of the Oscars 2026 is going to be. Sure, there’s bound to be some drama — Timmy C. or Michael B.? Sinners or One Battle? — , but believe us when we say that nothing is packed with politics and drama the way that the In Memoriam montage is!

As we have stated in years past:

This annual mash-up of Hollywood’s recently deceased, tinted in sepia and accompanied by maudlin music is infinitely more complex in nature than your standard awards show montage. Like a great mixtape, a well-executed tribute to dead celebrities has to ebb and flow just so, playing well both in the room AND to the millions of people watching at home in their living rooms. For starters, you have to lead off with a notable death in order to get the applause rolling, but then maintain momentum throughout the piece, all the while saving the most “important” death for last. Here at Decider, we call this position of the In Memoriam segment the “anchor” slot.

Everything that you just read remains true this year, but the powers-that-be have sweetened the proverbial pot. We already know that there is going to be some sort of exuberantly emotional tribute to the recently deceased Rob Reiner (sans Corey Feldman, who claims he was “not invited” to participate alongside Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, and his Stand By Me co-stars Wil Wheaton and Jerry O’Connell), not to mention an appearance from the one and only Babs Streisand (who may or may not be singing) memorializing Robert Redford. Verklempt doesn’t even begin to describe it!

(For what it’s worth, Josh Groban has been officially announced as the lead vocalist for the In Memoriam segment, where he’ll be backed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.)

So, who are the prediction markets* predicting as the most important dead celebrity in Hollywood that passed sometime between March 2, 2025 (when the 2025 Oscars aired their In Memoriam montage) and, erm, today? Let’s do some predicting about the Oscars 2026 In Memoriam tribute. (We’ll check back after the segment airs this evening to let you know how our predictions fared.)

Oh, one last thing before we start: A tip-of-the-cap to the dearly departed Loni Anderson, Joe Don Baker, Claudia Cardinale, Jimmy Cliff, Ed Gale, George Wendt, and Brian Wilson — while your accomplishments were many, they likely weren’t enough in the eyes of the In Memoriam editors to make the segment; we’re predicting these folks get SNUBBED!

*No prediction markets actually predict this, but if someone at Kalshi or Polymarket is looking for a consultant for the 2027 Oscars, you know where to get at me.

1. Hulk Hogan (1953-2025)

   Photo: ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection

   AGE: 71
   DATE: 7/24/25
   ODDS: 1000:1

   Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on YOU? Well, we can pretty much predict that Hulk Hogan will not be running wild tonight, for not only was his film career disappointing (that’s a still from Mr. Nanny above) but so were his politics (at least in the eyes of the liberal Hollywood elite). There’s a great chance that Hogan gets SNUBBED from the In Memoriam, brother.

2. Isiah Whitlock Jr. (1954-2025)

   Photo: Everett Collection

   AGE: 71
   DATE: 12/30/25
   ODDS: 750:1

   Sheeeeeeeeeiiiiiiit. A favorite of Spike Lee, Isiah Whitlock Jr. racked up 126 credits over his long career — his voice is currently featured in Hoppers, the #1 movie in the country — but most of his success came in TV (see: The Wire). He’s got a better shot at anchoring the Emmys, to be honest.

3. Sally Kirkland (1941-2025)

   Photo: ©Vestron Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

   AGE: 84
   DATE: 11/11/25
   ODDS: 500:1

   Sally Kirkland was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar way back in 1987 for her work in Anna, but she’s perhaps best known for sparring with Joan Rivers on E!’s Fashion Police (thanks to her penchant for dressing, um, provocatively on Oscars red carpets pretty much every year in the ’90s). Let’s hope the In Memoriam editorial committee remembers her contributions and doesn’t snub her.

4. James Foley (1953-2025)

   Photo: ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection

   AGE: 71
   DATE: 12/28/25
   ODDS: 250:1

   James Foley was one of the most promising young directors of the late ’80s and early ’90s, and will forever be admired for his work helming Glengarry Glen Ross in ’92. (For what it’s worth, he also turned the corny rapper Marky Mark into movie star Mark Wahlberg in Fear.) However, his career never quite took the turn into full Prestige Mode, so he’ll have to settle for a brief cameo tonight.

5. Nicky Katt (1970-2025)

   Photo: ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

   AGE: 54
   DATE: 5/11/25
   ODDS: 200:1

   When Nicky Katt made the transition from reliable TV guest player into burgeoning movie star in late ’80s, his combination of bad boy charisma and rugged handsomeness were intoxicating. Directors like Richard Linklater, Christopher McQuarrie, and Kathryn Bigelow took a shine to him and gave him some meaty parts, but he was never quite able to take things to the next level. He died way too early at 54, and honestly has an outside shot of being snubbed entirely by the In Memoriam committee.

6. Peter Greene (1959-2025)

   Photo: Everett Collection

   AGE: 66
   DATE: 12/12/25
   ODDS: 150:1

   “Bring out The Gimp.” 1994 was a hell of a year for Peter Greene. Not only was his turn as a serial sadistic S&M enthusiast Zed in Pulp Fiction truly unforgettable, but he scored a major win when he was cast as the villain in The Mask. Substance issues got in the way, though, and he also may find himself on the outside looking in tonight.

7. Udo Kier (1944-2025)

   Photo: Everett Collection

   AGE: 81
   DATE: 11/23/25
   ODDS: 125:1

   If I showed you a picture of Udo Kier, would you be able to identify him by name? No disrespect to Mr. Kier, but I’m betting the answer is a firm “no.” But if I asked you if you recognized him? I’m just as confident that the answer would be an even firmer “yes.” Kier was a consummate That Guy, racking up an astonishing 277 credits as an actor in movies directed by legends like Werner Herzog, Andy Warhol, and Rob Zombie. (He appears in this year’s Oscar-nominated The Secret Agent, too, and has 3 more movies on the way despite dying back in November.)

8. Tom Noonan (1951-2026)

   PHoto: ©De Laurentiis Group/Courtesy Everett Collection

   AGE: 74
   DATE: 2/14/26
   ODDS: 100:1

   Tom Noonan was a reliably creepy presence in movies like Manhunter, The Monster Squad, and The House Of The Devil. He was a character actor’s character actor, which means that he’ll likely get a nod from the In Memoriam committee but there’s no way he’s in consideration for the anchor position. Unlucky #13 felt like the right slot for him (complimentary).

9. James Van Der Beek (1977-2026)

   Photo: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

   AGE: 48
   DATE: 2/11/26
   ODDS: 75:1

   “I don’t whaaant yer liiife.” Definitely best known for playing the titular role in Dawson’s Creek, real pop culture heads remember a moment in time there where James Van Der Beek was being positioned as one of Hollywood’s Next Big Things (albeit in teen-centric projects like 1999’s Varsity Blues and 2001’s Texas Rangers). Wisely, though, James recognized his calling was in TV, and went on to work steadily on the small screen all the way up until his tragic death from cancer at a way, way too young age of 48.

10. Robert Carradine (1954-2026)

    Photo: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    AGE: 71
    DATE: 2/23/26
    ODDS: 50:1

    NERDS! Oh man. There was a brief period of time in the mid-’80s when Americans fell head over heels in love with the socially awkward (and ultra-problematic) men of the Lambda Lambda Lambda fraternity, a bunch of nerds (complimentary?) led by one Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards. Well, Edwards leveraged his exposure in 1984’s Revenge Of The Nerds, while Robert Carradine leveraged his exposure to star in … 1987’s Revenge Of The Nerds II (and Nerds III and even Nerds IV, a TV movie and a straight-to-video entry, respectively). Carradine worked consistently, but seemed haunted by his association to this franchise until his untimely death just a few weeks ago. Sad.

11. Brigitte Bardot (1934-2025)

    Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

    AGE: 91
    DATE: 12/28/25
    ODDS: 25:1

    Ooh. La. La. They say that Helen of Troy had a face that launched a thousand ships, but Brigitte Bardot had a face (and a body) that launched 10,000 boners (conservatively) when she got cast by Roger Vadim as the lead of his 1958 movie And God Created Woman. Bardot was never less than memorable any and every time she appeared on screen, but she never really found that ONE role that propelled her into the Oscars conversation. And that, as we know, is really the name of this game. (Well, that and her politics, which shall we say could properly be described as thorny.)

12. Michael Madsen (1957-2025)

    Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

    AGE: 67
    DATE: 7/3/25
    ODDS: 20:1

    Remember a few entries ago when we were praising Nicky Katt’s bad boy energy? Well, respectfully, Katt had nothing on Michael Madsen, who was a first ballot Hall of Fame BAD MAN (complimentary). A-list directors like Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, and Lawrence Kasden all inherently recognized his appeal — who could ever forget Madsen’s turn as the ear-slicing, Stealer’s Wheel superfan Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs? — but Madsen seemed more into the quantity of paychecks than the quality of his roles. (He somehow racked up 348 credits in 43 years of acting, an average of over 8 roles PER YEAR!) No Oscar noms means no anchor slot for him.

13. Terence Stamp (1938-2025)

    Photo: ©Warner Bros/courtesy Everett Collection

    AGE: 87
    DATE: 8/17/25
    ODDS: 15:1

    Terence Stamp earned his first Oscar nomination way back in 1963 in Billy Budd. He would go on to play supervillains (in Superman II), a drag queen (in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), and a corporate raider (in Wall Street), but he never managed to score another Oscar nomination. (Real ones know he got ROBBED of a Best Actor nomination when he starred in The Limey for Steven Soderbergh.) Great career, will be included in the montage, but no anchor for you!

14. Diane Ladd (1935-2025)

    Photo: ©Samuel Goldwyn Films/Courtesy Everett Collection

    AGE: 89
    DATE: 11/3/25
    ODDS: 12:1

    Probably best known these days for being Oscar-winner Laura Dern’s mom, Diane Ladd was a formidable on-screen presence who racked up three different Oscar nominations throughout her storied career (a 1975 nom for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a 1991 nom for Wild At Heart, and a 1992 nom for Rambling Rose, all in the Best Supporting Actress category). No wins, though, so she’ll have to settle for an inclusion.

15. Catherine O’Hara (1954-2026)

    Photo: Everett Collection

    AGE: 71
    DATE: 1/30/26
    ODDS: 10:1

    If Catherine O’Hara wasn’t Canadian, she probably would have been known as America’s Mom thanks to her work in Home Alone and its sequel. After coming to prominence in the late ’70s on SCTV, she made the transition to movie stardom after being tapped by A-list directors Martin Scorsese (After Hours), Mike Nichols (Heartburn), and Warren Beatty (Dick Tracy) in the ’80s. Beloved by all, she found her greatest success when she headed back to TV in the mid-2010s, earning 7 SAG nominations and two Emmys for her work on Schitt’s Creek and The Studio. Remember, though, this is the OSCARS, not the EMMYS, which means there are a few bigger fish in the In Memoriam pond crowding her out. Such as…

16. Val Kilmer (1959-2025)

    PHoto: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    AGE: 65
    DATE: 4/1/25
    ODDS: 8:1

    Val Kilmer, man. To be honest, we’re still not over his untimely death and being robbed of what undoubtedly would have been a late career renaissance. That said, Kilmer’s legacy is that of missed potential; he’ll likely go down as the best actor in Hollywood history who never managed to score a single Oscar nomination. His talent knew no bounds, but neither did his ego. Still, we’re grateful for all of his roles, and hopefully he’ll get his own stand-alone moment in tonight’s In Memoriam montage.

17. Robert Duvall (1931-2026)

    Photo: Everett Collection

    AGE: 95
    DATE: 2/15/26
    ODDS: 5:1

    In any other year, Robert Duvall might very well have been a shoo-in for the anchor position in the In Memoriam montage. A 7-time Oscar nominee who won the Best Actor prize in 1984 for his unforgettable work in Tender Mercies, Duvall exemplified class, integrity, and longevity throughout his illustrious career. That said, this year the field is too stacked, so he’ll have to settle for a stand-alone moment in the montage. (My guess? His iconic line-reading of “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” from Apocalypse Now.)

18. Rob Reiner (1947-2025)

    Photo: ©Embassy Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    AGE: 78
    DATE: 12/14/25
    ODDS: 3:1

    You know what we just said that in any other year Robert Duvall would have been the Anchor? Well, that goes double for Rob Reiner, who not only had a tremendously successful career (at the box office), but was also widely beloved by his peers and — there’s no way to say this elegantly — died in horrifically tragic fashion. If he had a few Oscars to his name, he really could have “won” in the In Memoriam prize walking away, but since he didn’t (again, he was bigger at the box office than in the awards race), he won’t be there. That prize will go to either…

19. Diane Keaton (1946-2025)

    Photo: Everett Collection

    AGE: 79
    DATE: 10/11/25
    ODDS: 2:1

    You won’t find anyone in Hollywood with anything negative to say about Diane Keaton. Nominated for 4 Oscars and winner of one (Best Actress in 1978 for Annie Hall), Keaton was beloved by audiences AND critics alike for six-plus decades. That is an exceedingly rare feat, and really could earn her the anchor position in the In Memoriam if the Academy decides to mix up their formula and kick off the big melancholy montage with a tribute to…

20. Robert Redford (1936-2025)

    PHoto: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    AGE: 89
    DATE: 9/16/25
    ODDS: Even money

    Robert Redford was the very definition of Hollywood royalty. Undoubtedly one of the most handsome men ever to grace the silver screen, he was a matinee idol and respected leading man whose name on a poster meant one thing: MONEY. For all of his success as an actor, though, he had even more success as a director; he won an Oscar in 1980 for Best Director for his work on Ordinary People, and got another nom in 1995 for Quiz Show. But that’s not all, folks. For all his success as an actor AND as a director, he arguably had his most success as a philanthropist and entrepreneur; he founded the Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival, without which the whole indie film boom of the late ’80s, ’90s, and early Aughts would never have happened; he was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2002 for his myriad contributions to the art of filmmaking. He’s the reason the anchor position of the In Memoriam was invented, and the only way he won’t be in the pole position for this honor tonight is if the show’s producers decide that a stand-alone segment is the better way to honor him.

UPDATE (9:50pm ET): Nailed it! The final two people to appear in the montage were James Earl Jones and Gene Hackman, just as your Uncle Grambo predicted. DraftKings and/or FanDuel, get at me next year!