Alternative 88th Academy Awards In Memoriam

1. Chantal Akerman

Chantal Akerman was born on June 6, 1950 in Brussels, Belgium. She was a director and writer, known for The Meetings of Anna (1978), I, You, He, She (1974) and A Couch in New York (1996). She was married to Sonia Wieder-Atherton. She died on October 5, 2015 in Paris, France.

2. Karolyn Ali

Producer | Tupac: Resurrection

Karolyn Ali was born on August 29, 1944 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She was a producer, known for Tupac: Resurrection (2003), Klash (1995) and Stevie Wonder: Part-Time Lover (1985). She died on August 18, 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

3. Gene Allen

Art_director | My Fair Lady

Gene Allen was born on June 17, 1918 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an art director and production designer, known for My Fair Lady (1964), A Star Is Born (1954) and Les Girls (1957). He was married to Iris. He died on October 7, 2015 in Newport Beach, California, USA.

4. Howard A. Anderson

El corazón y la espada

Howard A. Anderson was born on March 31, 1920 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a cinematographer, known for Sword of Granada (1953), Nightmare (1956) and Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957). He died on September 27, 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

5. James Best

Actor | The Dukes of Hazzard

American character actor and teacher. Born Jewel Guy in Powderly, Kentucky, on July 26, 1926, he was orphaned at three and adopted by Armen and Essa Knowland Best, who renamed him James Knowland Best and raised him in Corydon, Indiana. Following high school he worked briefly as a metalworker before...

6. Theodore Bikel

Actor | My Fair Lady

Theodore Bikel is one of the most versatile and respected actors and performers of his generation. A master of languages, dialects and accents, he has played every sort of film villain and semi-bad guy imaginable, and always adds depth, dimension and even sympathy to characters that would end up as...

7. David Bowie

Soundtrack | Labyrinth

David Bowie was one of the most influential and prolific writers and performers of popular music, but he was much more than that; he was also an accomplished actor, a mime and an intellectual, as well as an art lover whose appreciation and knowledge of it had led to him amassing one of the biggest ...

8. Robert Chartoff

Producer | Creed

Robert Chartoff was born on August 26, 1933 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer, known for Creed (2015), Rocky (1976) and Raging Bull (1980). He was married to Jenny Weyman-Cockle, Vanessa Howard and Phyllis Raphael. He died on June 10, 2015 in Santa Monica, California, USA.

9. Richard Corliss

Self | Life Itself

Richard Corliss was born on March 6, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Mary Corliss. He died on April 23, 2015 in New York City, New York, USA.

10. Wes Craven

Writer | A Nightmare on Elm Street

Wes Craven has become synonymous with genre bending and innovative horror, challenging audiences with his bold vision.

Wesley Earl Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Caroline (Miller) and Paul Eugene Craven. He had a midwestern suburban upbringing. His first feature film was The Last House on ...

Craven would have opened the tribute

11. Manoel de Oliveira

Director | Os Canibais

Manoel de Oliveira was born on December 11, 1908 in Oporto, Portugal. He was a director and writer, known for The Cannibals (1988), I'm Going Home (2001) and Christopher Columbus, the Enigma (2007). He was married to Maria Isabel Brandão de Meneses de Almeida Carvalhais. He died on April 2, 2015 in...

Not featured in either the Oscars Memoriam or TCM Remembers

12. Louis DiGiaimo

Casting_director | Thelma & Louise

Louis DiGiaimo was born on October 20, 1938 in Paterson, New Jersey, USA. He was a casting director and producer, known for Thelma & Louise (1991), Gladiator (2000) and Homicide: Life on the Street (1993). He was married to Lee. He died on December 19, 2015 in Oakland, New Jersey, USA.

13. Richard Dysart

Actor | The Thing

Richard Dysart served for four years in the Air Force during the Korean War. He was a founding member of the American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco. He received the Drama Desk Award in 1972 and a Emmy Award in 1992. He was good friends with Diana Muldaur, who played Rosalind Shays on L.A. Law.

14. Frank Finlay

Actor | Lifeforce

One of Britain's finest products of the stage, film and TV, actor Frank Finlay, he with the dark and handsomely serious-to-mordant looks, was born on August 6, 1926, in Farnworth, England, the son of Josiah, a butcher, and Margaret Finlay. Of English, Irish and Scottish descent, Frank attended St. ...

15. Stan Freberg

Actor | Lady and the Tramp

Stan Freberg grew up in Los Angeles, California. From an early age he was a big fan of radio and sound. He was blessed with the double abilities of being an amazing mimic and possessing a razor-sharp satirical mind. In the early 1940s he began to do voice work for both the Warner Brothers' cartoons...

16. Daniel Gerson

Writer | Monsters, Inc.

Daniel Gerson, best known for co-writing Disney's "Big Hero 6" and Pixar's two "Monsters" films died February 6th, 2016 at his home in Los Angeles after battling brain cancer. He was 49 years old. A New York State native, Gerson grew up immersed in the arts and starring in musical theater ...

17. Coleen Gray

Actress | The Killing

Coleen Gray was born in Staplehurst, Nebraska, in 1922. After graduating from high school she studied dramatics at Hamline University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She then decided to see America and traveled to California, stopping off at La Jolla where she worked as a waitress. ...

18. John Guillermin

Director | The Towering Inferno

John Guillermin was born on November 11, 1925 in London, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for The Towering Inferno (1974), Death on the Nile (1978) and King Kong (1976). He was married to Maureen Connell and Mary Guillermin. He died on September 27, 2015 in Topanga Canyon, ...

19. Setsuko Hara

Actress | Banshun

Setsuko Hara became one of Japan's best-loved stars over her 30-year film career. Her signature character type, variations on a daughter devoted to her parents and home, inspired the nickname that stayed with her until retirement: the Eternal Virgin. To some extent, reality mirrored her roles in ...

20. Saeed Jaffrey

Actor | The Man Who Would Be King

Saeed Jaffrey was born in Maler Kotla, Punjab, India. He was born on the 8th of January 1929. He attended University of Allahabad where he completed his post-graduate degree in history. He also attended the Staff Training Institute of All India Radio. He started his career in drama, as the founder ...

21. Dean Jones

Actor | The Love Bug

Born in Decatur, Alabama and christened Dean Carroll Jones, the actor's father worked for a railroad company and the family moved often, living in Washington, DC, Nashville, and New Orleans. "It was in New Orleans I really learned how to sing", Jones told the Pittsburgh Press in 1969. Dropping out ...

22. Kirk Kerkorian

Producer | The Promise

Kirk Kerkorian was born on June 6, 1917 in Fresno, California, USA. He was a producer, known for The Promise (2016) and Where I Stand: The Hank Greenspun Story (2008). He was married to Una Davis, Lisa Bonder, Jean Maree Hardy and Hilda Schmidt. He died on June 15, 2015 in Beverly Hills, Los ...

23. Christopher Lee

Actor | Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was perhaps the only actor of his generation to have starred in so many films and cult saga. Although most notable for personifying bloodsucking vampire, Dracula, on screen, he portrayed other varied characters on screen, most of which were villains, whether it ...

24. Joan Leslie

Actress | The Sky's the Limit

She was born of Irish ancestry as Joan Agnes Theresa Brodel, the daughter of an accountant and a pianist. She was educated at Catholic schools in Toronto, Montreal and Detroit. There were three sisters, her older siblings being Mary and Betty. Together, they made up a successful vaudeville act, the...

25. Andrew Lesnie

Cinematographer | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Andrew Lesnie was an Australian cinematographer who frequently worked with Peter Jackson. He did the photography for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. He also did the photography for Babe, King Kong, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I Am Legend and The Lovely Bones. He passed away...

26. Geoffrey Lewis

Actor | The Way of the Gun

Talented and highly capable character actor Geoffrey Lewis, with rustic (sometimes sour-faced) looks, grew up in Rhode Island but was moved out to California at the age of ten. Lewis was very keen on the dramatic arts at high school, but often preferred to put on his own one-man shows rather than ...

27. Robert Loggia

Actor | Big

Born and raised in New York City, Robert Loggia studied journalism at the University of Missouri before moving back to New York to pursue acting. He trained at the Actors Studio while doing stage work. From the late 1950s he was a familiar face on TV, usually as authoritative figures. Loggia also ...

28. D.M. Marshman Jr.

Writer | Sunset Blvd.

D.M. Marshman Jr. was born on December 21, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was a writer, known for Sunset Blvd. (1950), Taxi (1953) and Second Chance (1953). He was married to Ann Chase Lane. He died on September 17, 2015 in Stamford, Connecticut, USA.

29. Melissa Mathison

Writer | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Melissa Mathison was born on June 3, 1950 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was a writer and producer, known for E.T. (1982), The BFG (2016) and Kundun (1997). She was married to Harrison Ford. She died on November 4, 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

30. Roger Mayer

Producer | American Masters

Roger Mayer was born on April 21, 1926 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a production manager and producer, known for American Masters (1985), Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992) and Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990). He was married to Pauline Alexander. He died on March 24, 2015 in Los ...

31. Albert Maysles

Cinematographer | Grey Gardens

Albert Maysles was born on November 26, 1926 in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Grey Gardens (1975), Salesman (1969) and Gimme Shelter (1970). He was married to Gillian Walker. He died on March 5, 2015 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, ...

32. Ron Moody

Actor | Oliver!

Equipped with a crooked, leering smirk and devilish gleam in his eye, actor Ron Moody will be most assuredly remembered for one signature role, despite the fact that the talented comedian had much, much more to offer. Carol Channing may have had her Dolly Levi and Yul Brynner his King of Siam, but ...

33. Dickie Moore

Actor | Gabriel Over the White House

Dickie Moore made his acting and screen debut at the age of 18 months in the 1927 John Barrymore film The Beloved Rogue (1927) as a baby, and by the time he had turned 10 he was a popular child star and had appeared in 52 films. He continued as a child star for many more years, and became the ...

34. Leonard Nimoy

Actor | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Leonard Simon Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dora (Spinner) and Max Nimoy, who owned a barbershop. His parents were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants. Raised in a tenement and acting in community theaters since age eight, Nimoy did not make his Hollywood debut until he was 20, with a bit ...

Nimoy would have closed the tribute

35. Maureen O'Hara

Actress | The Quiet Man

In America, the early performing arts accomplishments of young Maureen FitzSimons (who we know as Maureen O'Hara) would definitely have put her in the child prodigy category. However, for a child of Irish heritage surrounded by gifted parents and family, these were very natural traits. Maureen made...

36. Miroslav Ondrícek

Cinematographer | Amadeus

Miroslav Ondrícek was born on November 4, 1934 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a cinematographer, known for Amadeus (1984), Hair (1979) and A League of Their Own (1992). He was married to Eva. He died on March 28, 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic.

37. Betsy Palmer

Actress | Friday the 13th

Betsy Palmer was probably best known for playing Jason Voorhees' mother in the horror film Friday the 13th (1980), but her career as an actress began many years before.

Palmer was born Patricia Betsy Hrunek in East Chicago, Indiana, to Marie (née Love), who launched the Chicago Business College, and...

38. Amanda Peterson

Actress | Can't Buy Me Love

Amanda Peterson was born on July 8, in Greeley, Colorado. With a natural beauty, powerful charm and a strong personality this talented and truly gifted actress began her career in film industry at age 9, with the feature film Annie (1982), directed by Academy Award-winner John Huston. To ...

39. Alan Rickman

Actor | Die Hard

Alan Rickman was born on a council estate in Acton, West London, to Margaret Doreen Rose (Bartlett), of English and Welsh descent, and Bernard Rickman, of Irish descent, who worked at a factory. Alan Rickman had an older brother (David), a younger brother (Michael), and a younger sister (Sheila). ...

40. Jacques Rivette

Director | La Belle Noiseuse

Although François Truffaut has written that the New Wave began "thanks to Rivette," the films of this masterful French director are not well known. Rivette, like his "Cahiers du Cinéma" colleagues Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol and Éric Rohmer, did graduate to filmmaking but, like Rohmer...

41. Alex Rocco

Actor | The Godfather

Tough, gruff, thick-browed, volatile-looking character actor Alex Rocco was born Alessandro Federico Petricone, Jr. on February 29, 1936, to Italian immigrants in Cambridge, Mass. He grew up a member of Boston's Winter Hill gang (his nickname was "Bobo") and was briefly detained regarding a murder ...

42. Jack Rollins

Producer | Match Point

Jack Rollins was born on March 23, 1915 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Match Point (2005), Cassandra's Dream (2007) and Blue Jasmine (2013). He was married to Pearl (Jane) Rose Levine. He died on June 18, 2015 in Manhattan, New York City, New York,...

43. Ettore Scola

Writer | Una giornata particolare

Ettore Scola was born on May 10, 1931 in Trevico, Campania, Italy. He was a writer and director, known for A Special Day (1977), The Family (1987) and Passion of Love (1981). He was married to Gigliola. He died on January 19, 2016 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

44. Omar Sharif

Actor | Lawrence of Arabia

Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor best known for playing Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and the title role in Doctor Zhivago (1965), was born Michel Demitri Shalhoub on April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt to Joseph Shalhoub, a lumber merchant, and his wife, Claire (Saada). Of Lebanese and ...

45. Bruce Sinofsky

Director | Brother's Keeper

Bruce Sinofsky was born on March 31, 1956 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Brother's Keeper (1992), Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004) and Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996). He was married to Florence Sinofsky. He died on ...

46. Fred Thompson

Actor | The Hunt for Red October

Fred Thompson was born on August 19, 1942 in Sheffield, Alabama, USA. He was an actor, known for The Hunt for Red October (1990), No Way Out (1987) and Baby's Day Out (1994). He was married to Jeri Kehn Thompson and Sarah Elizabeth Lindsey. He died on November 1, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

47. Dick Van Patten

Actor | Spaceballs

Dick Van Patten began acting as a child. He made his first of 27 Broadway appearances at age seven in "Tapestry in Grey." After, he appeared in numerous films, including Freaky Friday (1976), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), and Spaceballs (1987). His television credits include his best-known role...

48. Abe Vigoda

Actor | The Godfather

Tall, dour-faced and slouch-shouldered character actor Abe Vigoda proved himself in both gritty dramatic roles and as an actor with wonderful comedic timing.

Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lena (Moses) and Samuel Vigoda, a tailor -- both Russian Jewish immigrants. His father was a tailor ...

49. Jerry Weintraub

Producer | The Avengers

Jerry Weintraub was born on September 26, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for The Avengers (1998), The Firm (1993) and The Next Karate Kid (1994). He was married to Jane Morgan and Janice Ivy Greenberg. He died on July 6, 2015 in Santa Barbara, ...

50. Murray Weissman

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Murray Weissman was born on December 23, 1925 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an executive, known for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Needful Things (1993) and Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988). He was married to Kay Friedman and Gracia Lee. He died on December 28, ...

51. Colin Welland

Actor | Straw Dogs

In a career of over 30 years this Lancashire-born former art teacher has achieved great success in acting, both in television and film and writing, for television, film and stage.

His first film appearance is perhaps still his best-loved, the sympathetic Mr Farthing in Kes (1969), for which he won a...

52. Haskell Wexler

Cinematographer | Medium Cool

Two-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler was adjudged one of the ten most influential cinematographers in movie history, according to an International Cinematographers Guild survey of its membership. He won his Oscars in both black & white and color, for Who's Afraid of ...

53. Elmo Williams

Editor | High Noon

Elmo Williams was born James Elmo Williams in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma. Orphaned at 16, he attended schools in Oklahoma and New Mexico before moving to Los Angeles. In 1933 he struck up a relationship with film editor Merrill G. White, who hired Williams as his assistant on a business trip to England. ...

54. Elizabeth Wilson

Actress | The Graduate

Elizabeth Wilson was born April 4, 1921, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Marie Ethel and Dunning Wilson. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Elizabeth's film debut was in Notorious (1946) in an uncredited ...

55. Holly Woodlawn

Actress | Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers

Woodlawn was born Haroldo Santiago Franceschi Rodriguez Danhakl in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. Her mother, Aminta Rodriguez, married the baby's father, a German-American sailor in the U.S. Navy stationed in Puerto Rico, but they divorced when his military service ended. When Woodlawn was nine, her ...

56. Vilmos Zsigmond

Cinematographer | Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Along with László Kovács, a fellow student who fled Hungary in 1956, Zsigmond rose to prominence in the 1970s. He is known for his use of natural light and vivid use of color on features such as The Long Goodbye (1973) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).