The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it was sorry for the second-most embarrassing mistake of Oscar night, apologizing on Wednesday to still-living producer Jan Chapman and the family of deceased producer Janet Patterson after erroneously showing a photo of Chapman in its “In Memoriam” dedication to Patterson.
“We sincerely apologize to producer Jan Chapman, whose photo was mistakenly used in the Oscars “In Memoriam” tribute for her colleague and dear friend, the late Janet Patterson,” the Academy said in an Instagram post. “Janet, an Academy member and four-time Oscar-nominated costume designer, was beloved in our community. We extend our deepest apologies and condolences to the Patterson family.”
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Chapman and Patterson, both Australians, were close friends and colleagues who worked together on Jane Campion’s award-winning 1994 film “The Piano,” for which the two received Oscar nominations. Chapman’s image does appear in some photo databases under Patterson’s name.
However, Chapman is alive and active, and has worked on such recent movies as “The Babadook” and “The Daughter” with Geoffrey Rush. Patterson passed away last Oct. 21 at age 60.
In addition to her costume designs for “The Piano,” Patterson was also Oscar-nominated for 1996’s “The Portrait of a Lady,” 1998’s “Oscar and Lucinda” and 2010’s “Bright Star.