Everyone who has won a posthumous Oscar

Screenwriter Sidney Howard became the first posthumous Oscar winner at the 1940 ceremony for his work on historical epic Gone With the Wind. The script had a long and tortured adaptation process from Margaret Mitchell's bestselling novel, with producer David O. Selznick frequently interfering, but Howard was the only one ultimately given credit. He died at the age of 48 in a horrific accident with a tractor, several months before Gone With the Wind even premiered in late 1939.

Horning was a legendary early art director, earning one of his first Oscar nominations for his work with Cedric Gibbons on The Wizard of Oz. But he was first honored for his work posthumously (and long after Gibbons had retired) on lavish MGM musical Gigi (1958), which follows a young courtesan-in-training as she falls for a dashing playboy. Gigi held the record for sweeping its nominations, winning across all nine categories it had an Oscar nod in, until The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King topped it in 2003.

In addition to art director William A. Horning, producer Sam Zimbalist was another posthumous Oscar winner for Ben-Hur. Zimbalist, who began his career as an editor, was a producer known for his work on epics such as King Solomon's Mines (1950) and Quo Vadis (1951), both of which were nominated for Best Picture. But his only Best Picture victory came for Ben-Hur, and he had tragically died of a heart attack while on set in in Rome during the movie's production. To this day, he remains the only posthumous winner for Best Picture.

As founder of one of Hollywood's most influential studios, Walt Disney fittingly holds the record for most Oscar nominations (59) and wins (26, but only 22 are competitive rather than honorary). So, it stands to reason he would've eked out one last posthumous win. Though he died in 1966, due to the long production time of animated pieces, he won for Best Short Subject (Cartoon) with Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. It was the final animated short he produced, and it remains one of the most beloved of the Disney Winnie the Pooh properties.

Though many expected James Dean to become the first posthumous winner in an acting category (he was nominated for both Giant and East of Eden in 1956), it took nearly two more decades — and the honor went to Australian Peter Finch. In 1977, Finch won for his unhinged portrayal of TV news anchor Howard Beale in the darkly satirical (and sadly prescient) Network. Finch was in the middle of a promotional tour for the film when he died from a heart attack at the age of 60.

Lyricist and playwright Howard Ashman is often credited for helping to spark the Disney animation Renaissance of the early 1990s. Working with composer Alan Menken, the two wrote unforgettable songs for films like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, but Ashman also took a direct role in the storytelling. Ashman died from complications from HIV/AIDS shortly after completing work on Beauty and the Beast (the film is dedicated to him). His partner Bill Lauch accepted the Oscar alongside Alan Menken for the film's title song. Ashman had won for Best Song previously alongside Menken for The Little Mermaid's "Under the Sea." He holds the record for most posthumous Oscar nominations, earning three Best Song nominations for Beauty and the Beast and a final nomination the next year for Aladdin.

Legendary cinematographer Conrad Hall shot some of the most iconic films ever made, including In Cold Blood, Cool Hand Luke, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He won two Oscars for Best Cinematography while he was living, one for Butch Cassidy and the other for American Beauty. His final film, 2002's Road to Perdition, is both dedicated to him and earned him his final Oscar posthumously. His son, who is also a cinematographer, accepted the award on his behalf.