A version of this story about posthumous Emmy nominations also appeared in the Down to the Wire: Drama issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Chadwick Boseman, Norm Macdonald and Jessica Walter received posthumous Emmy nominations this year, joining a class of performers that in the past has featured Anthony Bourdain, Carrie Fisher and Audrey Hepburn, among others.
Boseman, who died of colon cancer in August 2020, garnered a nod for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for his work on Disney+’s animated multiversal series “What If…?” The “Black Panther” star reprised his role as T’Challa in the episode titled “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?”
Walter, best known for her scorching performance in “Arrested Development” and who died last year at the age of 80, received a nomination in the same category, for her voice work in an “Archer” Season 12 episode “London Time.” The actress played Malory Archer, the animated sitcom’s amoral matriarch.
Macdonald was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special for his “Nothing Special” Netflix special, which surprised viewers when it dropped on the streamer on the last day of Emmys eligibility, May 31. Macdonald, who died at age 61 from cancer, was also listed as a writer and executive director on the special.
Read more from the Down to the Wire: Drama issue here.
