The 97th Academy Awards admired a lot of big names of stars and film crew who passed away in 2024, like Dame Maggie Smith, David Lynch, a Gene Hackman tribute, and more. However, late actress Shannen Doherty, whose best movies and TV shows included Heathers, was part of the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed, was snubbed in the In Memoriam segment. Doherty’s Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star makes sure to share her blunt thoughts on not being featured.
On July 13, 2024, the entertainment world lost a very prominent actress. Shannen Doherty passed away at 53 after her long battle with metastatic breast cancer. You would think Doherty’s name would be included in the 2025 Oscars In Memoriam segment. Sadly her mention was snubbed, and her Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Jennie Garth said in a TMZ video her blunt thoughts on that:
That’s messed up.
Jennie Garth also didn’t disagree with TMZ’s suggestion for The Academy to issue an apology for Shannen Doherty’s snub. I do believe that Garth has a point about how “messed up” it is that the American actress wasn’t honored among the other late stars and crew. You could make the argument that maybe The Academy didn’t include Doherty because she appeared in a handful of movies like Heathers, The Secret of NIMH, and Mallrats. While her film roles were small, it still doesn’t mean that her presence in those movies should be forgotten.
Other than Shannen Doherty, this year’s In Memoriam also missed another recent celebrity death. Michelle Trachtenberg, who passed away this February at age 39, also wasn’t featured in the segment. Like Doherty, Trachtenberg was also known more for her TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl. But, you can’t look past the unforgettable movies she starred in, like Nickelodeon’s film Harriet the Spy, Disney’s Ice Princess, and the teen sex comedy Eurotrip. Considering that her sudden death occurred four days before the 97th Oscars premiered, perhaps she’ll be mentioned in next year’s segment.
While Shannen Doherty and Michelle Trachtenberg were remembered more for their TV roles, one actor known for their work in the film horror genre was absent in this year’s In Memoriam segment as well. Late horror icon Tony Dodd also wasn’t mentioned, which was shocking considering he successfully terrified audiences in the Candyman series and the Final Destination franchise. You better believe his family wasn’t happy about the Critic’s Choice nominee being snubbed as well as his representative Jeffrey Goldberg:
I’ll just say that I’m disappointed that Tony was forgotten ... the Academy might want to reconsider the way they do this section of the broadcast because although it is great that they remember some of those we’ve lost in the past year, they often forget others that should be honored. Tony was my friend and client for over 30 years and I’m just sad that he wasn’t given the honor that he deserved.
In the words of Jennie Garth, “that’s messed up” that Shannen Doherty was snubbed among the stars honored at the Oscar’s In Memoriam segment this year. The same could be said for Michelle Trachtenberg and Tony Dodd who moved fans with their notable works that deserved high esteem like everyone else who sadly passed. Even without a mention, fans of the late stars will always remember their contributions to the film industry and will always be missed.
You can find the In Memoriam segment and other highlights of the 97th Academy Awards on your Hulu subscription.
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