by Paul Sorvino’s family called out the Academy Awards for failing to include the Good guys starring in his own segment “In Memoriam”.
During Sunday’s (March 12) ceremony, Lenny Kravitz performed “Calling All Angels” as a screen behind him displayed a montage of notable movie makers who have died in the last year.
These included Olivia Newton John, Ray Liotta, Angela Lansbury, Jean-Luc Godard and Irene Cara.
Other stars featured in the segment were Burt Bacharach, Nichelle Nichols, Kirstie Alley and Racquel Welch.
Notably absent from the tribute was Paul Sorvino, the character actor and opera singer known for his brooding performances in films such as Goodfellas, the gambler, AND Romeo + Juliet.
The actor died of natural causes in July 2022 at the age of 83.
After the awards ceremony, Sorvino’s eldest daughter, actress Mira Sorvino, tweeted: “I for one remember dad on this Oscar night…”
The post was linked to an Instagram reel of her father visibly crying at the Oscars in 1996, after winning Best Supporting Actress for her role in Woody Allen Mighty Aphrodite.
In an edited version of the caption, Mira explained that she posted the reel before becoming aware of “Papa’s omission and that of many other incredible artists from the In Memoriam section.”
“Incredibly hurt and shocked that my father’s huge, irreplaceable and lifelong contribution to the world of cinema has been overlooked by whoever made that list,” he said.
“We his adoring family and you, his adoring audience, know how unique and incredible he was.”
“Hope @theacademy does something to fix it.”
He later tweeted that it was “baffling beyond belief that my beloved father and so many other amazing deceased actors had been left out.”
“The Oscars forgot about Paul Sorvino, but the rest of us never will!!” she wrote.
This was told by Dee Dee Sorvino, who married Sorvino in 2014 People: “Paul Sorvino was one of the greatest actors in the history of Hollywood cinema. It is inconceivable that he would be excluded from the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars.
“It’s a three hour show, can’t they give a couple more minutes to get it right?”
He called on the Academy to “apologise, admit the mistake and do better”.
A spokesman for the Academy said so The Hollywood Reporter that the segment selection committee “includes one representative from each of the organization’s 17 branches and some names more familiar to the public cannot be included because all branches are eligible for representation during the limited time allotted to the segment.”
A spokesman further said Variety: “All contributions are posted on A.frame and will remain on the site throughout the year.”
The press release linked to a site in which Sorvino and others are commemorated.
Every year there is anger over who is omitted from the In Memoriam segment at the Oscars. Others excluded this year included Volcano AND Donnie Brasco actor Anne Heche, as well as British star David Warner (The omen, Titanic) and Charlbi Dean, the rising star who was the female lead in the film nominated for Best Picture Triangle of sadness. Dean died suddenly at the age of 32 last year.
