This year's Oscars are tinged with sadness. That is partly due to the fact that the glamour and decadence of the biggest night in film follows a year of pain, with producers explaining that the coronavirus pandemic will be addressed during the ceremony. But it is also a bittersweet night for the friends, family and fans of the late, great Chadwick Boseman.
The actor passed away from colon cancer last August, and therefore sadly cannot enjoy the acclaim that his final performance - in Netflix drama Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - received, including his first Academy Award nomination in the Best Actor category. He is hotly tipped to win, beating fellow actors Sir Anthony Hopkins, Riz Ahmed, Gary Oldman and Steven Yeun.
Chadwick's nomination places him alongside some truly great actors who won praise and plaudits after their deaths. Most recently, Heath Ledger won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2009, for his role as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. He had passed away the previous year. Peter Finch meanwhile died mere months before winning the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Network.
Actors who were nominated but did not win include Jeanne Eagels, acknowledged in the Best Actress category at the second Oscars ceremony, following her death in 1929, while James Dean was nominated for Best Actor in 1955 and 1956, for East of Eden and Giant respectively, following his death in 1955.
In addition to acting categories, many people have won Oscars despite passing away before the ceremony. Howard Ashman, for example, died mere weeks before winning the Oscar for Best Music for Beauty and the Beast, while Walt Disney won a Best Short Film Oscar after his death. Some recipients of honorary awards - such as Audrey Hepburn - passed away before the ceremony.
Chadwick's tragic passing does not mean that his presence won't be felt. He will feature in the Academy's annual tribute to film icons, and he will be represented at the ceremony by his wife, Simone Ledward. She has already accepted awards on his behalf, including at the Golden Globes, when she gave a moving speech.
'He would thank God,' she said. 'He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices.'
'He would say something beautiful. Something inspiring. Something that would amplify that little voice inside of all of us that tells you you can, that tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you were meant to be doing. I don’t have his words, but we have to take all the moments to celebrate those we love... and honey, you keep ’em coming. Thank you.' She used a speech at the NAACP Image Awards to implore black men watching from home to have their colons checked.
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