Stuart Gilmore

Biography

Stuart Gilmore (1909-1971) was an American film editor whose career spanned the studio era of Hollywood and the years that followed. Over forty-five editing credits and around ten directing credits bear his name, most of them in adventure, comedy and large-scale colour productions.

He joined Paramount Pictures in 1927 and began cutting films in 1934, staying at the studio until 1945. He later worked for RKO from 1950 and for 20th Century Fox from 1957 for about two years. Notable titles include The Palm Beach Story (1942), The Lady Eve (1941) and Hawaii (1966). He received three Academy Award nominations for Best Film Editing, for The Alamo, Airport and The Andromeda Strain, the last one posthumous and shared with John W. Holmes.

Gilmore died of a heart attack in 1971 while working at Universal Pictures. His legacy lies in the quiet craft of editing within the big studios and in the narrative clarity of his spectacle films.

Key films

• Sullivan's Travels (1941): editing of Preston Sturges's comedy about a director who wants to make a serious social drama.
• The Alamo (1960): Oscar-nominated editing of John Wayne's epic.
• Airport (1970): Oscar-nominated editing of the disaster film that launched the genre's 1970s cycle.
• Hawaii (1966): editing of the epic based on James A. Michener's novel.
• Sweet Charity (1969): editing of the musical directed by Bob Fosse.
• The Andromeda Strain (1971): posthumous Oscar nomination for editing Robert Wise's science fiction film.