Oscar nominated film editor Richard Marks passed away unexpectedly on New Year’s Eve, according to American Cinema Editors executive director Jenni McCormick. He was 75 years old.
Marks was nominated by the Academy Awards for Best Film Editing for Apocalypse Now, Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, and As Good As It Gets. His editing work included a long collaborative relationship with director James L. Brooks, editing all of the director’s films from 1983 to 2010.
Born on November 10, 1943, in New York, Marks studied English literature in college and spent his early career days running film cans around Manhattan. He became assistant editor on The Rain People, Alice’s Restaurant, and Little Big Man in the late 1960s.
His primary editing work came in 1972’s Parades, followed by Bang the Drum Slowly, Serpico, Tough Guys, and The Godfather: Part II – all before 1975. His editing work included The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, St. Elmo’s Fire, Pretty in Pink, Say Anything…, Father of the Bride, Riding in Cars with Boys, Spanglish, Made of Honor, and Julie & Julia.