Oscars 2026: Dharmendra snubbed, left out of ‘In Memoriam’ segment
Actor left out despite the segment running for 15 minutes longer than in previous years
Veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra, who passed away in November 2025, didn’t find a mention in the ‘In Memoriam’ segment at the 98th Academy Awards.
The tribute segment at this year’s Oscars ran for 15 minutes longer than in previous years with special remembrances for Hollywood legends Rob Reiner, Diane Keaton and Robert Redford.
Despite the extended runtime, Dharmendra’s name was absent from the broadcast.
The “Sholay” star, however, was included in the official online list of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) alongside five other Indian film personalities — actors Saroja Devi, Manoj Kumar, Jayasree Kabir, Kota Srinivasa Rao and documentary filmmaker S Krishnaswamy.
Earlier in the awards season, Dharmendra received a tribute at the 79th BAFTA Awards held at the Royal Festival Hall in February 2026, where he was the only Indian actor included in the ‘In Memoriam’ montage.
In previous ceremonies, the ‘In Memoriam’ segment has occasionally featured Indian film personalities.
At the 90th Academy Awards in 2018, cinema icons Shashi Kapoor and Sridevi were honoured in the montage, with the two stars receiving a musical tribute by Eddie Vedder.
More recently, at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021, actors Irrfan Khan and Oscar-winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya were also remembered in the segment.
Other names also absent from the broadcast included Brigitte Bardot, James Van Der Beek, Eric Dane, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and ‘Harold and Maude’ actor Bud Cort.
“It’s been an unimaginably hard year where we’ve lost a lot of icons and titans of the film industry. So yes, we are going to expand the ‘In Memoriam’ because it feels so important that we do a tribute that is worthy of the people that we’ve lost this year,” Oscars producer Katy Mullan told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the ceremony.
