Dee Dee Sorvino and Mira Sorvino, the late actor’s wife and daughter are speaking out against excluding the late actor from the In Memoriam part of the 2023 Oscars.
Academy Paid Tribute To Late Stars
Lenny Kravitz performed during a part of the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday night, which paid tribute to actors and directors who passed away the previous year. John Travolta presented the segment.
Exclusion Of Paul Sorvino From The List
Sorvino, the Goodfellas actor who passed away in July at 83 from natural causes, was noticeably missing from the slideshow played during the program.
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There Were Other Celebrities, Too
According to our sources , Paul Sorvino was among several well-known people who weren’t included in this year’s In Memoriam section.
Famous Celebrities Exclusion
Among them were Charlbi Dean, the star of Best Picture nominee, Triangle of Sadness , who passed away unexpectedly last August at the age of 32; Emmy nominee Anne Heche who died last August after a car accident; Tom Sizemore from Saving Private Ryan who passed away on March 3rd from a brain aneurysm; and Chaim Topol from Fiddler on the Roof who passed away on March 8th.
Oscars Put Photos Of Late Celebrities On Website
Instead, their names and photos were only placed on a tributes page on the Oscars website.
Work Of Paul Sorvino
Paul Sorvino, who has over 170 film and television credits, is most known for his roles in iconic movies like Goodfellas, Nixon, Romeo + Juliet, and many more.
Dee Dee Sorvino’s Reaction
Dee Dee Sorvino, Sorvino’s widow, expressed her displeasure to the Academy in a statement to ET following the obvious absence of Sorvino.
She Was Angry
She said, “Paul Sorvino was one of the greatest actors in cinematic history in Hollywood. It is unconscionable that he would be left out of the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars; it’s a three-hour show; they can’t give a couple more minutes to get it right. Paul Sorvino gave decades to this industry and was loved by all. Paul was not the only deserving soul left out; a QR Code is unacceptable.”
She Wants Academy To Apologize
She continued, “The Academy needs to apologize, admit the mistake, and do better. Paul Sorvino deserves better, and the audience deserves better. Is the Academy so jaded they forget people who are loved, who have given their hearts to this industry?”
Academy Should Be Ashamed
Shame on the Academy if this is not corrected, she added; mistakes are made, and this was a big one. Please do something to make it right.”
Academy Tried To Justify Their Choices
The show pointed viewers to the longer In Memoriam tribute on their website to justify their choices and respect all the celebrities who have passed away in the preceding year, but many fans were perplexed and outraged about the choices made over who to recognize during the ceremony itself.
Mira Sorvino Called Out
Mira, honored for “Mighty Aphrodite” with an Oscar, called it out.
Mira Sorvino Post On Twitter
After the ceremony, she posted on Twitter, “I, for one, am remembering Dad on this Oscars night.”
Mira Recalled The Night Of Win
She also recalled the night she won and the occasion with her father. Mira received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Mighty Aphrodite in 1996.
Another Tweet By Mira
Then, on Monday, she tweeted specifically about her father’s absence.
Mira Said It’s Baffling Beyond
She stated, “It is baffling beyond belief that my beloved father and many other amazing, brilliant departed actors were left out. The Oscars forgot about Paul Sorvino, but the rest of us never will!!”
Mira Sorvino’s Instagram Post
She posted on Instagram , “On this Oscars night, I am so happy for all of the nominees and the winners, but I am also moved in a thousand different ways when I think of the night I got to share my Academy Award with my Dad, the very great actor Paul Sorvino, who was never nominated.”
Mira Admired Her Father
She added, “To get to share this blindingly positive moment with my father… My first and best teacher, my beloved Daddy, who came to all the school plays and loved from the bottom of his heart, the brilliant thespian whom all his colleagues revered as one of the greatest, to get to give back to him what he had been giving me all my life- love and belief and admiration and gratitude,” said Mira.
Mira Sorvino Misses Her Dad
She added, “On this first year after his passing, it is a bittersweet but beautiful memory. I love you, Dad. I miss you so much.”