Robert Swink

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Robert E. Swink (born June 3, 1918 in Rocky Ford , Colorado , † August 15, 2000 in Santa Maria , California ) was an American film editor .

Life

In 1927 Robert Swink came to Hollywood with his family. After finishing school, he turned down a football scholarship and preferred to train as a film editor at RKO Pictures . He stayed there until after the Second World War. During the war he served in a special division of the US Army; he was responsible for the editing of training films.

In 1944 Swink began editing motion pictures. His move to Paramount in 1952 brought him together with great directors such as William Wyler , Richard Fleischer , John Frankenheimer , George Stevens and Franklin J. Schaffner . He also received his first Oscar nomination under Wyler (1954 for A Heart and a Crown ). Two other nominations came in 1969 for Funny Girl and 1979 for The Boys from Brazil .

He was on the set five times as a second unit director, but he didn't make the jump into the director's chair. The quality of his work spoke for itself, so that he continued to be hired by directors with whom he had already worked. In 1981, after working on the film The Curse of the Sphinx , Swink wanted to retire. But director Franklin J. Schaffner persuaded him to oversee the editing for his next film. However, the film And They're Off remained unreleased. Swink came back to film one last time in 1989. After Schaffner died in the post-production phase of his film Welcome Home - A dead man returns, it was a logical consequence for the studio bosses to leave the final editing of the film to the director's preferred editor.

Robert Swink died on August 15, 2000 of complications from a heart attack.

Filmography (selection)

Nominations and Awards

  • 1954: Oscar nomination for A Heart and a Crown
  • 1969: Oscar nomination for Funny Girl
  • 1979: Ocars nomination for The Boys from Brazil
  • 1993: Recognition of his life's work with the Career Achievement Award from the American Cinema Editors (ACE)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Swink, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Swink, Robert E.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film editor
DATE OF BIRTH June 3, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH Rocky Ford , Colorado
DATE OF DEATH August 15, 2000
Place of death Santa Maria , California