Elmo Williams
James Elmo Williams (born April 30, 1913 in Lone Wolf , Oklahoma , † November 25, 2015 in Brookings , Oregon ) was an American film editor , film producer and film director .
Life
Elmo Williams grew up in a town of 500 in Kiowa County and was orphaned by the age of 16. He attended schools in Oklahoma and New Mexico before moving to Los Angeles . In 1933 he met the film editor Merrill G. White , who made him his personal assistant and took him to England . With White's support, Williams quickly became a recognized editor, primarily working for RKO Pictures . After six years (1939) Williams returned to the US and was retired so that he did not have to fight like many other US citizens in World War II .
By the end of the 1950s, Williams was responsible for editing 23 feature films and was widely recognized for this. In 1952 he and Harry W. Gerstad won the Oscar in the Best Editing category for their work on the western classic Twelve Noon . Two years later, Williams received another Academy Award nomination for Best Editing for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea . After that, Williams' work shifted to producing and directing. He started as a second unit director on The Longest Day in 1962 and was the producer of Tora! Torah! Torah! .
In 1990 he received the American Cinema Editors' Career Achievement Award for life's work . He was married to author Lorraine Williams from 1940 until her death in 2004 . The couple adopted three children.
Elmo Williams died in Brookings, Oregon on November 25, 2015 at the age of 102.
Filmography (selection)
As an editor
- 1939: Sixty Glorious Years - editing supervision
- 1939: Nurse Edith Cavell
- 1940: Irene
- 1941: Sunny
- 1943: For ever and a day (Forever and a Day)
- 1947: Design for Death
- 1948: The Bells of Coaltown (The Miracle of the Bells)
- 1952: Twelve noon (High Noon)
- 1954: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)
- 1958: The Vikings (The Vikings)
As a producer
- 1970: Torah! Torah! Torah!
- 1978: The Lord of the Caravan (Caravans)
- 1983: Hearts in Turmoil (Man, Woman and Child)
As a director
- 1953: The Tall Texan
- 1954: The Song of the Prairie (The Cowboy)
Web links
- Elmo Williams in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Scott Graves: Brookings' Elmo Williams dies at age 102. ( Memento of the original from December 16, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: currypilot.com. November 25, 2015, accessed November 25, 2015.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Williams, Elmo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Williams, James Elmo (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American film editor, film producer, and film director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 30, 1913 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lone Wolf , Oklahoma , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 25, 2015 |
| Place of death | Brookings , Oregon , United States |