John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994)
The comedic star John Candy died suddenly of a heart attack
on March 4, 1994, at the age of 43. At the time of his death, he
was living near Durango, Mexico, while filming Wagons East,
a Western comedy co-starring the comedian Richard Lewis.
1987
Morgan Freeman opened the annual In Memoriam segment at the
2025 Oscars by sharing kind words about his former co-star, Gene Hackman, who died last week.
Freeman addressed the Dolby Theatre audience in Hollywood by
saying, “This week, our community lost a giant — and I lost a dear
friend, Gene Hackman.”
Freeman continued, “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.
He received two Oscars, but more importantly, he won the hearts
of film lovers all over the world.”
1992 
2000
Gone with the Wind won eight Academy Awards: Best Picture,
Actress (Vivien Leigh), Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel),
Art Direction (Lyle R. Wheeler), Color Cinematography (Ernest
Haller, Ray Rennahan), Directing (Victor Fleming), Film Editing
(Hal C. Kern, James E. Newcom) and Writing – Screenplay
(Sidney Howard).
Vivien Leigh during the 12th Academy Awards Oscar night.
David O. Selznick in 1940.
On February 29, 1940, Gone with the Wind is honored with eight
Oscars by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences. An epic Southern romance set during the hard times
of the Civil War, the movie swept the prestigious Best Picture,
Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Film Editing,
and Actress categories.
However, the most momentous award that night undoubtedly
went to Hattie McDaniel for her portrayal of “Mammy,” the
housemaid and former enslaved woman.
McDaniel, who won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award,
was the first African American actress or actor ever to be honored
with an Oscar.
Born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1895, McDaniel demonstrated her
talents as a singer and actress while growing up in Denver,
Colorado.
She left school while a teenager to become a performer in several traveling minstrel groups and in 1924 became one of the first
African American women to sing on U.S. radio. In 1952 McDaniel
died of breast cancer at the age of 57.
Eugene Allen Hackman
(January 30, 1930 – c.February 26, 2025)
American actor and novelist, widely regarded as one of the
greatest actors of his generation. Hackman gained widespread recognition for his breakthrough role as Buck Barrow in
"Bonnie and Clyde" (1967), which earned him his first
Academy Award nomination.
Over the next five decades, he became known for his versatility,
playing a wide range of characters in films such as "The French Connection" (1971), for which he won the Academy Award for
Best Actor, and "Unforgiven" (1992), which earned him a
second Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Hackman’s career is marked by memorable performances in both dramatic and comedic roles, including "The Conversation" (1974), "Superman" (1978) as Lex Luthor, "Hoosiers" (1986), and "The
Royal Tenenbaums" (2001). He retired from acting in 2004 to
focus on writing novels.
Hackman, his wife, and their dog were found dead at their home
in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 95.
