Sunday’s Oscars in memoriam tribute left out a popular actressm, writer and director: Joan Rivers.
Best known for her stand up specials, stint as a talk show host and, of course, her cutting sense of humor as a red carpet interviewer, Rivers also has contributed to the film world.
She played the voice of several on-screen characters, including Dot Matrix in “Spaceballs” and baby Julie in “Look Who’s Talking,” as well as voicing herself in “Shrek 2.”
Additionally, she appeared in “The Muppets Take Manhattan” and “Serial Mom.” Also, she appeared in the documentary film “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work,” which screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival, as well as winning the U.S. Documentary Editing Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
Yet, her biggest contribution to the film business would be “The Rabbit Test,” a controversial comic film that starred Billy Crystal as the first pregnant man.
Rivers co-wrote and directed the 1978 film, which also starred Doris Roberts, Joan Prather and Alex Rocco.
Rivers died last September after undergoing a throat procedure at the clinic. The medical examiner later determined that she had stopped breathing during the procedure and suffered fatal brain damage resulting from a lack of oxygen. She was 81.