When actor Tony Todd passed away in November 2024, horror fans everywhere were mourning the loss of an icon who brought to life one of the genre’s most haunting boogeyman, Candyman. But despite having such an unmistakable presence on the big screen, even returning to reprise another beloved role for FInal Destination: Bloodlines while suffering from cancer, he’d also appeared on and co-starred in dozens of major TV shows. Which is why it was shocking that the 2025 Emmy Awards telecast didn’t feature him during the “In Memoriam” segment.
For this year’s ceremony, country giants Vince Gill and Lainey Wilson took the stage to perform “Go Rest High on That Mountain” as the video of late Hollywood heaviest played on the big screen behind them, with Tony Todd nowhere to be seen. In response, his widow Fatima Cortez Todd made her voice heard in knocking the TV Academy for ignoring such a big talent. Speaking with EW, she said:
Tony had a long list of TV credits but he was not respected as much by the industry he gave his artistic life. He was classically trained and always given great support by his fans. Ultimately, he gave his all because he loved his work. Many times he was told that he should have had a role he didn’t get. He still maintained his generosity of spirit. The award shows look over many who should be honored. That's on them.
Indeed, Tony Todd likely worked on just as many total episodes of television across his long career as many of the other talents who were acknowledged during the Emmys segment. Even if he didn't lead off his own project in the vein of The Tony Todd Show, he took on plenty of memorable recurring and one-off roles in some of the biggest shows on TV.
Here's a shortlist of linear projects he's appeared on in the past 40+ years.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- MacGyver
- Matlock
- Hawaii Five-0
- Psych
- Without a Trace
- 24
- Criminal Minds
- The Flash
- The Young and the Restless
- The Orville
- The X-Files
That's hardly a full list, also, and doesn't include the bulk of his work bringing his unmistakable voice to animated shows and video games.
Given that so much of Todd's work was devoted to genres like sci-fi and horror, it's possible that played into why he was left out of the "In Memoriam" segment. Or perhaps the Emmys took the worst possible lesson from the Oscars, which gobsmackingly also left Tony Todd out of its tribute segment.
Other celebs missing from the "In Memoriam" segment include the late former WWE Superstar Hulk Hogan, as well as The Sopranos vet Jerry Adler. It should be noted, however, that those and other seemingly shunned performers are listed on the TV Academy's more compreshensive rundown of actors who passed away in the last year.
