Hugh A. Robertson (May 28, 1932 – January 10, 1988) was an American film director and editor, born in Brooklyn, of Jamaican parents. While Robertson was credited as an editor for only three films, ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film, based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with notable smaller ...

'' (directed by John Schlesinger-1969) earned him the

BAFTA Award for Best Editing This is a list of winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Editing, which is presented to film editors, given out by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts since 1968. The film-voting members of the Academy select the five nom ...

and a nomination for the

Academy Award for Film Editing An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

, making him the first African American person to be nominated for an Oscar in the editing category. Robertson subsequently edited

Gordon Parks Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks (November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006) was an American photographer, composer, author, poet, and film director, who became prominent in U.S. documentary photojournalism in the 1940s through 1970s—particula ...

' film ''

Shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...

'' (1971), which was his last credit as a film editor. By this time Robertson had turned to directing. In addition to television programs and documentaries, he directed the feature ''

Melinda Melinda is a feminine given name. Etymology The modern name ''Melinda'' is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek, or from Melissa (μέλισσα) meaning ...

'' (1972). He spent most of his remaining life in Trinidad and Tobago. There he produced and directed the film ''

Bim ''Bim'' is a 1974 Trinidad and Tobago film written by Raoul Pantin and directed by Hugh A. Robertson. It was described by Bruce Paddington as "one of the most important films to be produced in Trinidad and Tobago and... one of the classics of ...

'' (1975) and ran a filmmaking school. He returned to the United States in 1986.

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* African-American film directors 1932 births 1988 deaths Filmmakers from Brooklyn Best Editing BAFTA Award winners Film directors from New York City American film editors 20th-century African-American people {{US-film-director-1930s-stub

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