Oscars 2022 In Memoriam Features Special Tributes to Betty White, Sidney Poitier and Ivan Reitman
ABC
The Oscars honored the stars from in front and behind the camera that the industry lost this year.
The In Memoriam segment of the 94th annual Academy Awards on Sunday featured special tributes to several screen icons.
Tyler Perry honored Sidney Poitier, Bill Murray remembered Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman and Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute to Betty White.
"Sidney Poitier was for far too long the only Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor," Perry said as he began the tribute. "When he stood on that stage, he did more than shatter a barrier, he stood there for all that came before him and sparked the dreams of all who followed."
"To quote Mr. Poitier himself, he said 'As the cats say in my area, I'm out here wailing for us all.' "
"I would not be here today without Sidney, all of us are so blessed and honored to have been inspired by him," Perry said at the end of his homage. "To you Sir, with all of our love."
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Murray paid tribute to Reitman by combining wit and irreverence –– just as the director had in many of his beloved films.
"When Ivan Reitman was 10 years old, his parents gave him a sleeping pill, wrapped him in a blanket and put him beneath the deck of a boat to escape Czechoslovakia," Murray said of the late director's upbringing.
"He made some movies, some really good movies," Murray continued, "married a pretty girl and raised some children and they make movies too." Reitman's three children, Catherine, Caroline, and Jason Reitman are all actors.
"Ivan I love your work," the comedian concluded.
Curtis brought out a rescue puppy on stage with her in honor of White's dedication to animal rights and charities.
"She was not only a Golden Girl, she was a legend," Curtis said. "She brightened every room she walked in and brought a smile to all who watched her on the screen day in and day out, for almost a century."
"She was a woman who cared so much for not just her two-legged friends but for animals just like this one," Curtis continued, as she held up the adorable puppy.
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"So, the greatest gift you could give Betty White is to open your heart and your home and adopt a rescue dog just like Mac and Cheese from Paw Works"
"Thank you, Betty, thank you for being a friend to us all," Curtis concluded, giving a nod to the iconic Golden Girls' theme song.
White died Dec. 31 at age 99. The television legend had memorable roles in movies like 2009's The Proposal and 2010's You Again, in which she costarred with Curtis.
Poitier — who died in January at 94 — made history as the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor when he was recognized for Lilies of the Field on April 13, 1964. In 2002, when he was given an Honorary Awards for lifetime achievement at the Oscars, Poitier said in his speech, "To those audience members around the world who have placed their trust in my judgment as an actor and filmmaker, I thank each of you for your support through the years. Thank you."
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RELATED: Halle Berry Recalls Sidney Poitier 'Looking Over Me as a Proud Father Would' When She Won Oscar
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Reitman died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Montecito, Calif., in February at age 75. He was known for directing movies like Ghostbusters, Twins, Stripes and Kindergarten Cop.
RELATED VIDEO: Betty White's Assistant Shares 'One of the Last Photos of Her': She Was 'as Happy as Ever'
The In Memoriam portion of the 2022 Oscars also paid tribute to Michael K. Williams, Ned Beatty, Sally Kellerman, Dean Stockwell, Jean-Marc Vallee, Peter Bogdanovich and Richard Donner
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was also remembered, five months after the 42-year-old was shot and killed on the New Mexico set of the Western movie Rust on Oct. 21.
The 2022 Oscars aired Sunday from Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on ABC.
