Michael Kahn (film editor)
Michael Kahn | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 8, 1930 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film editor |
| Years active | 1964–present |
Michael Kahn (born December 8, 1930)[1][2] is an American film editor, known for his frequent collaboration with Steven Spielberg.[3] He has edited all but two of Spielberg's films since 1977's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.[4] Among other accolades, he has won three Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, two BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Early life
[edit]Kahn was born to a Jewish family in New York City. While his birth year has been reported as 1935, Kahn said in 2015, when asked if he was 80, that his age at that point was "closer to 85."[1] Prior to his film editing career, he was a producer for a New York ad agency.[5]
Career
[edit]Early work
[edit]Kahn worked in the post-production department of Desilu during the 1960s, where he was apprentice to editor Dann Cahn.[5] Kahn's first notable work was as the head editor for the popular sitcom Hogan's Heroes (1965-71),[5][6] editing 131 of the 168 episodes, over six seasons. Early in his career, he edited George C. Scott's only two films as director - Rage (1972) and The Savage Is Loose (1974).
He also edited Hogan's Heroes star Ivan Dixon's directorial efforts Trouble Man (1972) and The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1976), several B movies directed by Robert Clouse, and the cult horror film The Devil's Rain.
With Steven Spielberg
[edit]His first collaboration with Steven Spielberg was for his 1977 film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He has edited all of Spielberg's subsequent films as of 2015[update][4] except for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), which was edited by Carol Littleton and Disclosure Day (2026), which was edited by Sarah Broshar. Kahn has received eight Academy Award nominations for Best Film Editing, and has won three times—for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Schindler's List (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998), which were all Spielberg-directed films.
Kahn has edited digitally since at least Twister (1996), though he continued to edit on film with Spielberg long after most editors had stopped doing so.[7][8] In 2008, Kahn acknowledged that "people find it hard to believe that Steven and I still edit film on a Moviola and a KEM. [But] Steven feels film got us where we are today and he loves the smell of it and feel of it. We started that way and both really enjoy it."[9] George Lucas remarked "Michael Kahn can cut faster on a Moviola than anybody can cut on an Avid."[10] However, since The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011), Kahn has edited Spielberg's films on an Avid machine.[11]
Since 2017, Kahn has co-edited his films with Sarah Broshar.[12]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-71 | Hogan's Heroes | Various | 131 episodes |
| 1970 | Night Slaves | Ted Post | TV movie |
| 1971 | The Doris Day Show | Norman Tokar Jerry London |
Episodes: "And Here's... Doris", "When in Rome, Don't" |
| The Chicago Teddy Bears | Leslie H. Martinson | Episode: "The Alderman" | |
| 1976 | Eleanor and Franklin | Daniel Petrie | Miniseries; 2 episodes |
| 2013 | The Bridge | Gwyneth Horder-Payton | Episode: "The Crazy Place" |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Kahn equaled the record for the most Oscar wins (three) in the Best Film Editing category, shared with Ralph Dawson, Daniel Mandell, and Thelma Schoonmaker. Furthermore, he had eight nominations in that category—a number surpassed only by Schoonmaker. All of Kahn's Oscars came from his work on Spielberg's films, which included Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Schindler's List (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998). He has received six nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Editing, winning for Fatal Attraction (1987) and Schindler's List.
Kahn has been selected for membership in the American Cinema Editors (ACE).[14] In 2011, he received the Career Achievement Award of the American Cinema Editors. At the ceremony, Steven Spielberg said of editing: "this is where filmmaking goes from a craft to an art."[15] In November 2013, Spielberg created the Michael Kahn Endowed Chair in Editing at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in honor of Kahn. The first to be appointed to the position was Norman Hollyn.[16][17]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Tapley, Kristopher (December 9, 2015). "Editor Michael Kahn on 'Bridge of Spies' and Four Decades of Steven Spielberg Magic". Variety. "Q: Happy Birthday! You’re 80 years old today, is that right? A: No, closer to 85, actually!"
- ↑ McGovern, Joe. "How 'The Fabelmans' Pieced Together Steven Spielberg's Childhood With Editors Michael Kahn and Sarah Broshar". The Wrap. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
At the age of 92, Kahn has been editing Steven Spielberg's movies since Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977...
- ↑ "Steven Spielberg's Frequent A-List Collaborators (Photos)".
- 1 2 Tapley, Kristopher (December 8, 2015). "Editor Michael Kahn on 'Bridge of Spies' and Four Decades of Steven Spielberg Magic". Variety. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
- 1 2 3 Paul, Johnathan (October 12, 2015). "The Editing Genius of Michael Kahn". The Beat: A Blog by PremiumBeat. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ↑ "Post Magazine - Editor Michael Kahn reflects on his work with Spielberg". www.postmagazine.com. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ↑ Davidson, Keay (June 1, 1996). Twister: The Science of Tornadoes and the Making of a Natural Disaster Movie. New York City: Gallery Books. p. XX. ISBN 0671000292. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ↑ King, Susan (April 8, 2018). "Film editor Michael Kahn on his long, award-winning work with Steven Spielberg". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ↑ Ian Freer (May 2008). "The Indiana Jones Diaries". Empire. p. 26.
- ↑ Richard Corliss (March 14, 2006). "A Conversation with George Lucas". Time. Archived from the original on June 13, 2006. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
- ↑ Desowitz, Bill (January 2012). "Cinematic Siblings Still Thinking Analogue in a Digital World". Editors Guild Magazine. Motion Picture Editors Guild. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- 1 2 McGovern, Joe (January 4, 2023). "How 'The Fabelmans' Pieced Together Steven Spielberg's Childhood With Editors Michael Kahn and Sarah Broshar". TheWrap. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ↑ "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Cast and Crew | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ↑ "American Cinema Editors > Members", webpage archived by WebCite from this original URL on March 4, 2008.
- ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (February 19, 2011). "'Social Network' Wins Best Edited Dramatic Feature at ACE Eddie Awards". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ "USC Trustee Steven Spielberg creates Michael Kahn Chair in Editing". University of Southern California. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
- ↑ Philadelphia, Desa (November 13, 2013). "Michael Kahn Honored at SCA". University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Michael Kahn at IMDb
- Cinema Editor Magazine Interview with Kahn
- Kahn on cutting War Horse - BTL
- Flickering Myth Article about Kahn
- Post Magazine Article on Kahn
- Movies Made Easy Interview with Kahn
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