Carol Sue Littleton, (born October 23, 1942) is an American

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film stock, film which increasingly involves the use Digital cinema, of digital ...

. Her work includes ''

Body Heat Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

'' (1981), ''

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...

'' (1982), '' The Big Chill'' (1983), ''

Places in the Heart ''Places in the Heart'' is a 1984 American drama film written and directed by Robert Benton. It stars Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, Ray Baker, Amy Madigan, John Malkovich, Danny Glover, Jerry Haynes and Terry O'Quinn. The film f ...

'' (1984), '' Silverado'' (1985), '' The Accidental Tourist'' (1988), and ''

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...

'' (1994). She won the

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

for the

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movie '' Tuesdays with Morrie'' (1999). In January 2024, she received an Honorary Oscar for her work.

Early life and education

Carol Littleton was born 1942 in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

but her family later moved to

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

in Northeastern Oklahoma, where she grew up.
An Interview with Carol Littleton, ACE
'. In: medium.com, February 3, 2017 She attended the University of Oklahoma College of Arts & Sciences, obtaining her bachelor's degree in 1965 and her master's in 1970.

Career

Her obsession with film editing started in France, when Littleton became acquainted with

French New Wave The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French European art cinema, art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentat ...

cinema. During the 1970s, Carol Littleton owned a production company that made commercials. She moved into working as a film editor with director Karen Arthur on ''Legacy'' (1975). Other films were to follow and Littleton received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for editing Steven Spielberg's ''

'' (1982). Commencing with ''

'' (1981), Littleton had an extended collaboration with the director

Lawrence Kasdan Lawrence Edward Kasdan (born January 14, 1949) is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the ''Star Wars'' films '' The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), '' Return of the Jedi'' (1983), '' The Force Awakens'' (2015), and '' Solo: A Star Wars ...

. Kasdan hired Littleton for ''Body Heat'' not only for her skill, but specifically because she was a woman. He believed only a woman editor could bring the eroticism he wanted to the film. Of the 11 films that Kasdan has directed, Littleton edited nine. In the late 1980s, Carol Littleton was elected to and served as the president of the

Motion Picture Editors Guild The Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG; IATSE Local 700) is the guild that represents freelance and staff motion picture and television editors and other post-production professionals and story analysts throughout the United States. The Motion Pi ...

. Littleton served as president of the

from 1988 to 1991, and as vice president from 1994 to 2001, as well as from 2005 to 2007. Littleton has been elected as a member of the

American Cinema Editors Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editing, film editors who are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the ...

, and has served as ACE vice president since 2019. She is also a current member of the board of governors of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

(Film Editors Branch). Littleton is one of the editors that author Gabriella Oldham interviewed for her book ''First Cut: Conversations with Film Editors'' (1992).

Personal life

Carol Littleton was married to cinematographer John Bailey from 1972 until his death in 2023.

Filmography

Film

Television

Accolades

References

External links

*
Focus on Editing: Emmy Winner — Carol Littleton, A. C. E.

TV Technology ''TV Tech'' is a trade journal covering the English-speaking broadcast television industry in North America. The magazine is published monthly by Future US. History and profile ''TV Tech'' is published by Future U.S. The magazine is based in N ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Littleton, Carol 1942 births 21st-century American women Academy Honorary Award recipients American Cinema Editors American film editors American women film editors Artists from Oklahoma City Living people