Moon Killers, Martin Scorsese’s newest film, honors Robbie Robertson, the Canadian musician who wrote the soundtrack and passed away from prostate cancer on August 9 at age 80. Five months after his death, the former guitarist and principal composer of The Band earns his first Oscar nomination in best original score, one of ten categories the film hopes to win at the upcoming ceremony.
Robertson joins a long list near eighty artists who have competed posthumously for an Oscar in competitive categories at the Academy Awards. Before this year, only fifteen individuals had secured a posthumous win in competitive categories, with one artist achieving the feat on two occasions.
Best Adapted Screenplay. Gone with the Wind. The first posthumous Oscar in history went to the writer who died before the premiere after a fatal accident. The script was widely considered the sole work of the author though production pressures and studio interference shaped the final film. The accolade remains a milestone in Oscar history, illustrating how posthumous recognition can intersect with a living, evolving industry.
Best Original Score. Around the World in 80 Days. It is a famously unlucky case. Composer Victor Young received twenty Oscar nominations in his lifetime but never won during his years of activity. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage at 57, and the following year the award went to his score for Around the World in 80 Days, awarded posthumously in a moment that felt almost cinematic in its timing.
Art direction at its peak. Gigi and Ben-Hur. The only person to win a posthumous Oscar twice is Horning, who collaborated with Cedric Gibbons at Metro. He was nominated five times before his death in 1959 during the making of Ben-Hur. That same year he received honors for Gigi and then repeated recognition for Ben-Hur in the following edition, highlighting a rare double posthumous achievement.
Best Picture. Ben-Hur. Among the eleven awards won by Ben-Hur at the 1960 ceremony, two were posthumous: the artistic director William A. Horning and producer Sam Zimbalist, who died during production. This remains the only time the Best Picture Oscar has been awarded to someone no longer living.
Art direction for Spartacus. In the era of epic historical dramas, the Swedish-born decorator earned his first and only Oscar nearly two years after his premature death. The film stands as a testament to how posthumous recognition can arrive late but with lasting impact.
Best Animated Short Film. Winnie the Pooh and the Stormy Day. The animation pillar of the United States continues to hold the record for nominations and wins at the Academy Awards. The studio earned its final posthumous Oscar for this second Pooh short, based on AA Milne’s stories, produced by Disney before his death from lung cancer in December 1966.
Best Original Song. Beauty and the Beast. In 1990, Howard Ashman, who had already won for Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid, told Alan Menken about his illness. He passed away a year after finishing work on Beauty and the Beast. Three songs from the film were nominated in 1992, with Beauty and the Beast winning, and another nomination followed in the next year for A Friend Like Me from Aladdin. Ashman’s posthumous nominations remain a record to this day.
Best Documentary Short Film. Educating Peter. The short documentary about a student with Down syndrome in a Virginia classroom earned its creator, Tom Goodwin, the Oscar of his career, three months after his death from cancer.
Photography at its best. Road to Perdition. Cinematographer Conrad L. Hall died in January 2003 at age 76, leaving behind a career filled with Oscar wins and nominations. The film, dedicated to his memory, earned him a tenth nomination and a third Oscar in the same year, marking a poignant posthumous triumph for a veteran of the craft.
Best Supporting Actor. Black Knight. The Batman saga’s second chapter arrived after a turbulent period and a fatal accident that shadowed an actor’s life. The nomination arrived on the first anniversary of his death, and the family accepted the award, underscoring how posthumous recognition can arrive with solemn ceremony and personal resonance.
Best Documentary Feature Film. 20 Steps from Fame. The last posthumous Oscar in this category went to a film about a workforce in the shadows of stardom. Producer Gil Friesen, a veteran of the music industry, died of leukemia in December 2012. The documentary won the award about a year later, reflecting how posthumous recognition can come through perseverance and storytelling that resonates across generations.
The tapestry of posthumous Oscars tells a quiet story about the people behind the art. It reminds viewers that the emotional and creative energy captured in films and scores often outlives the artists themselves, continuing to influence audiences and the industry long after their passing. These moments of remembrance stand as a bridge between legacy and ongoing achievement, celebrated by filmmakers, musicians, and fans alike. [Citation: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences records; annual Oscar archive; industry memorial tributes]