No, the “French Connection” star wasn’t snubbed.

Why Gene Hackman wasn’t featured in the ‘In Memoriam’ segment at the 2026 Oscars

No, the "French Connection" star wasn't snubbed.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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March 15, 2026 9:00 p.m. ET

Gene Hackman stars in 'The French Connection' in 1971. Credit:

Screen Archives/Getty

Gene Hackman was not among the celebrities remembered during the annual "In Memoriam" segment at the 2026 Oscars.

Some viewers might have seen that as a snub.

After all, Hackman won two Academy Awards — for Best Actor in 1971's *The French Connection* and Best Supporting Actor in the Western film *Unforgiven* two decades later — and he was nominated three more times over a career that spanned decades. And the actor, beloved for his appearances in movies including *Hoosiers*, *The Firm*, and *The Royal Tenenbaums*, was part of the same tribute at this month's Actor Awards.

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But it was simply a case of timing. News of Hackman's death was not yet known the last time the Screen Actors Guild handed out its awards, which was on Feb. 23, 2025.

Hackman was, however, included in the "In Memoriam" at the 2025 Oscars.

Morgan Freeman spoke about him and him alone as he introduced the list of celebrities who had died in the previous year.

"Well, this week, our community lost a giant, and I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman," Freeman said tearfully as he introduced the segment onstage. "I had the pleasure of working alongside Gene on two films: *Unforgiven* and *Under Suspicion*. And like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone's work."

Gene Hackman at the Golden Globes in 2003.

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Along with his Oscars, Freeman noted that Hackman had "won the hearts of film lovers all over the world." He recalled that his late friend had wanted people to remember him simply as "someone who tried to do good work."

At the ceremony on March 2, 2025, Freeman said Hackman would be remembered for that and much more.

Celebrity deaths 2026: Remembering the stars who died this year

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa's final autopsy reveals new health details

Hackman, 95, had been found dead, alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and one of their dogs, in their Santa Fe, N.M., home on Feb. 26.

The autopsy report later revealed that Hackman had died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease a significant contributory factor.

Arakawa, 65, who was also his caretaker, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease that affects the lungs.

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