Jim Clark (24 May 1931 – 25 February 2016) was a British film editor and film director. He has more than forty feature film credits between 1956 and 2008. Clark directed four feature films along with a handful of short films. Notably, he served as a creative consultant for '' Midnight Cowboy'' (1969). His most noted editing credits included '' Marathon Man'' (1976), '' The Killing Fields'' (1984), and '' Vera Drake'' (2004). In 2011, Clark published ''Dream Repairman: Adventures in Film Editing'', a memoir of his career.Jim Clark Biography (1931-)
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Early life

Clark was born in 1931, and grew up in Boston, Lincolnshire. He was educated at Oundle School in Northamptonshire and founded the Oundle Film Society in 1947.

Career

Clark moved to London, and in 1951 began work as an assistant editor at Ealing Studios. Subsequently he worked as a freelance assistant editor on two films directed by Stanley Donen and edited by Jack Harris. When Harris declined the opportunity to work on Donen's subsequent film, '' Surprise Package'' (1960), Donen gave Clark the job. As Clark later wrote, He received an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for the editing of '' The Killing Fields'' (1984, directed by

Roland Joffé Roland Joffé (; born 17 November 1945) is an English film and television film director, director, Film producer, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing the critically-acclaimed films ''The Killing Fields (film), The Killing Field ...

); he received a second BAFTA Award for editing ''The Mission'' (1986, Joffé). Clark was also nominated for BAFTA Awards for his editing of the films '' Marathon Man'' (1976, directed by John Schlesinger) and '' Vera Drake'' (2004, directed by Mike Leigh). In 2005, Clark received the American Cinema Editors Career Achievement Award. Responding to a question about the major influences on his editing, Clark said As a director he was responsible for '' The Christmas Tree'' (1966), '' Every Home Should Have One'' (1970), ''

Rentadick ''Rentadick'' is a 1972 British comedy film, directed by Jim Clark (film editor), Jim Clark and starring James Booth, Richard Briers, Julie Ege, Ronald Fraser (actor), Ronald Fraser and Donald Sinden. It is a spoof spy/detective picture, the p ...

'' (1972) and '' Madhouse'' (1974).

Personal life and memoir

Clark lived in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

with his wife Laurence Méry-Clark, likewise a film and television editor. They married in 1961 and had three children. Clark's autobiography ''Dream Repairman: Adventures in Film Editing'' was published in 2011, receiving warm reviews from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and '' The Observer''.

Filmography

''As director'' * '' The Christmas Tree'' (1966) *'' Every Home Should Have One'' (1970) *''

'' (1972) *'' Madhouse'' (1974)

References

External links