On Sunday, the Academy Awards aired a segment that paid tribute to actors who passed away over the past year, but they failed to include actor and Marine Corps veteran R. Lee Ermey.
Ermey was excluded from the segment despite his death in April 2018 and notoriety for his role as Gny. Sgt. Hartman in the movie “Full Metal Jacket” which was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globe Awards in 1988, the year after its release.
The three-minute montage included numerous faces, from popular actors like Burt Reynolds, to comic book writer Stan Lee, and various behind-the-scenes figures like directors, producers, and other crew members.
Watch the tribute below:
Some viewers took to social media where they voiced their displeasure over Ermey’s exclusion. He had a wide array of onscreen credits, leaving many to question the Academy’s decision against including him in the tribute.
Ermey appeared in more than 60 films and television shows, including Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Purple Hearts, Mississippi Burning, Toy Story 2, The Siege of Firebase Gloria, Dead Man Walking, Se7en, Fletch Lives, Leaving Las Vegas, Prefontaine, Saving Silverman, On Deadly Ground, Sommersby, Life, Man of the House, Toy Soldiers and The Salton Sea, as well as the remake of Willard, and as an evil sadist in two The Texas Chainsaw Massacre films.
He hosted television shows including Mail Call and Lock ‘N Load With R. Lee Ermey.
R. Lee Ermey Snubbed in Oscar Memoriam Montage https://t.co/JY8FsbmFoe
— Military.com (@Militarydotcom) February 26, 2019
Ermey served 11 years in the Marine Corps, including a 14-month deployment to Vietnam, and another deployment to Okinawa. He was a drill instructor, and received a promotion to staff sergeant shortly before his separation in 1972 due to injuries sustained in service.
After he retired, Ermey became the only Marine to receive an honorary promotion to gunnery sergeant.
His career as a drill instructor served as the inspiration behind his Full Metal Jacket role, with the infamous opening scene that has been a staple in military culture.
Ermey was 74 when he died from complications of pneumonia last year. Just last month, he received full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery with nearly 100 in attendance for the service that included a firing squad, flag presentation, and more.
Also among those missing from the Academy Awards montage were Austin Powers actor Verne Troyer, Fraiser actor John Mahoney, and various others.
The Academy Awards holds a memorial montage each year and has excluded prominent actors in the past for unknown reasons.
