Dick Anthony Williams and Lupe Ontiveros Snubbed by Oscar
Once again, the Academy Awards forgot important names for their In Memoriam tribute.
Dick Anthony Williams, who passed away in February 2012, made a name for himself in Blaxploitation films. In 1973, he starred in Black film classics Five on the Black Hand Side and The Mack, where he portrayed Pretty Tony and starred opposite Richard Pryor.
His feature film work includes roles in Edward Scissorhands, Tap and Mo’ Better Blues, where he played Denzel Washington's on-screen dad. Williams is also best known for his roles in television. For the past three decades he appeared in such projects as the miniseries King, The Jeffersons, Law & Order and The Shield.
Lupe Ontiveros is best known for her role as Yolanda Saldivar in Selena, which starred Jennifer Lopez in the title role. TMZ is reporting that the Ontiveros family is extremely upset that the actress was left out of the Academy Awards tribute. Ontiveros' son said the omission extremely “disappointed” them.
Ontiveros, who died in July 2012, has appeared in numerous films over the past 30 years including Goonies, As Good as It Gets and Real Women Have Curves. On television, she starred in dozens of series including Hill Street Blues, Los Americanos and Desperate Housewives.
During the Oscar telecast George Clooney prefaced the tribute by stating that several artists would be omitted from the segment. He said, “For those friends who are on this list tonight, and many others who aren’t, we thank you for the memories.”
Get ready for the BET Experience, featuring Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar and many more. Go here for more details and info on how to buy tickets.
BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest inthe world of hip hop and R&B music.
Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
(Photos from left: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images, Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)