Michael Minkler (born 14 May 1952) is an American motion picture sound re-recording mixer. He has received Academy Awards for his work on ''

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. It is based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, and p ...

'', ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'' and '' Black Hawk Down''. His varied career has also included films like ''

Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 epic film, epic war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger ...

'', ''

JFK John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his assassination in 1963. He was the first Catholic Chur ...

'' and ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'', as well as television programs like '' The Pacific'' and ''

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

''. Minkler works at

Todd-AO Todd-AO is an American post-production company founded in 1953 by Mike Todd and Robert Naify, providing sound-related services to the motion picture and television industries. The company retains one facility, in the Los Angeles area. Todd-AO ...

Hollywood. He is also the Managing Director of Moving Pictures Media Group, a company that specializes in film development, packaging projects for production funding acquisition.

Early career

Minkler started working as a recordist when he was 17, and started mixing in 1974 when he was 22. His early projects included commercials, television shows and industrial films. His first major film came in 1976 when he was hired for temporary work on music and effects tracks for the foreign release of ''All the President's Men'', with rerecording mixers Arthur Piantadosi and Les Fresholtz, at

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

' Stage 5. He continued to work with Piantadosi and Fresholtz on another 35 films, and considers them his mentors. Mike Minkler Q&A, Tom Kenny, ''Mix'' magazine, September 1, 2002

Family history

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Minkler was born into a family of sound-for-film professionals. Darrell Minkler, his grandfather, worked at Chicago Labs in 1928, developing disc recorders. He came to Hollywood to work on the

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National Pictures, First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone is the last major analog sound-on-disc sys ...

project at Warner Bros. Studios. Darrell Minkler also built a company then called Radio Recorders for music recording with such pop classic performers as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Tommy Dorsey. That studio later became a part of The Record Plant. Don Minkler, his father, began his sound career in the late 1940s and founded Producers Sound Service in 1964. Don Minkler's re-recording career includes such films as ''

Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern. It was produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and the S ...

'', ''

Five Easy Pieces ''Five Easy Pieces'' is a 1970 American road drama film directed by Bob Rafelson, written by Rafelson and Carole Eastman (as Adrien Joyce), and starring Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Susan Anspach, Lois Smith, and Ralph Waite. The film tell ...

'', ''

The Last Picture Show ''The Last Picture Show'' is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and co-written by Bogdanovich and Larry McMurtry, adapted from the 1966 semi-autobiographical novel by McMurtry. The film's ensemble cast incl ...

'' and ''

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' is a 1970 American satire (film and television), satirical Musical film, musical melodrama film starring Dolly Martin, Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, Phyllis Davis, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett, Er ...

''. His uncle, sound re-recording mixer Bob Minkler began working in the sound department back in the 1960s and won an Oscar in 1978 for his work on '' Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope''. Other Bob Minkler credits include '' 10'', ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

'' and ''

Bull Durham ''Bull Durham'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film written and directed by Ron Shelton. The film stars Kevin Costner as "Crash" Davis, a veteran catcher from the AAA Richmond Braves, brought in to teach rookie pitcher Ebby Calv ...

'' and ''

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...

''. His other uncle, Lee, also a mixer, shares the distinction of being on the Oscar Nominated Sound Mixing team for ''

Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer ...

'' with Michael and Bob. That is the only time that three members of a single family were nominated for an Oscar for the same film. Minkler's son, Christian P. Minkler, is also a re-recording mixer, who has worked on both television and feature film projects since 1990. Christian's most recent credits include '' Repo Man'', '' The Proposal'' and ''

Role Models ''Role Models'' is a 2008 American comedy film directed by David Wain, who co-wrote it with Timothy Dowling, Paul Rudd and Ken Marino. The film stars Rudd, Seann William Scott, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Jane Lynch, and ...

''.

Professional experience

After a four year stint at Warner Bros. Studios, he took the job as the chief mixer and managing director of facilities, at

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

's Lion's Gate Films in 1980. In 1984, Minkler struck out as an independent, working at a number of facilities, until 1990 when he helped design and staff Skywalker Sound's Lantana facility in Santa Monica. He continued to mix there after the facility was acquired by

. While at renamed Todd-AO West, Minkler won a pair of Academy Awards, first for ''Black Hawk Down'' in 2001 and then ''Dreamgirls'' in 2006. In 2009, he moved to the Todd-AO Hollywood facility and quickly earned an Academy Award nomination for ''Inglourious Basterds''.

Technical Advisor

In addition to his mixing credits, Minkler has been a sought after technical advisor for companies like Euphonix where he helped with the development of digital audio mixing technology, which is now an industry standard. Minkler has always been considered an innovator of technology and technique. On ''Inglourious Basterds'', Minkler utilized a new technology developed by Penteo Surround that enables stereo music mixes to be converted and spread across a 5.1 surround sound field.

Appears on

While Minkler is regularly profiled in trades magazines like ''Variety'', ''Mix'' and ''Post'', he's also appeared on DVD featurettes discussing the sound of a particular film. ''The Sound of Miracle'' appears as an extra on the DVD release of the 2004 film ''Miracle''.

Awards and nominations

Michael Minkler has been nominated for 12

Academy Awards 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 in ...

(three wins), six

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

(three wins), eight

Cinema Audio Society Awards The Cinema Audio Society Awards are an annual awards ceremony given by the Cinema Audio Society that honor outstanding achievements in sound mixing. These awards have been presented by the Cinema Audio Society since 1994. The competition is open ...

(two wins), one Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards (one win), seven

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

(one win) and four

Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

(three wins). In 2006, Minkler received the Cinema Audio Society's Career Achievement Award at the 42nd annual CAS Awards Banquet. The event took place at the Millennium-Biltmore in Los Angeles. He was the president of the Cinema Audio Society in 1981. ;

* 2021: ''

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

'' ( Best Sound) – Nominated * 2020: ''

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ''Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica, and distributed by Sony Pict ...

'' ( Best Sound Mixing) – Nominated * 2010: ''

'' ( Best Sound Mixing) – Nominated * 2007: ''

'' ( Best Sound Mixing) – Won * 2003: ''

'' ( Best Sound) – Won * 2002: '' Black Hawk Down'' ( Best Sound) – Won * 1994: ''

Cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...

'' ( Best Sound) – Nominated * 1992: ''

'' ( Best Sound) – Nominated * 1990: '' Born on the Fourth of July'' ( Best Sound) – Nominated * 1986: ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical conceived by Michael Bennett with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is cent ...

'' ( Best Sound) – Nominated * 1983: ''

'' ( Best Sound) – Nominated * 1981: ''

Altered States ''Altered States'' is a 1980 American science fiction horror film directed by Ken Russell, and adapted by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky from his 1978 novel of the same name. The novel and the film are based in part on John C. Li ...

'' ( Best Sound) – Nominated * 1980: '' The Electric Horseman'' ( Best Sound) – Nominated ;

* 2021: ''Greyhound'' (Best Sound) – Nominated * 2005: ''Collateral'' (Best Sound) – Nominated * 2004: ''Kill Bill: Vol. 1'' (Best Sound) – Nominated * 2003: ''Chicago'' (Best Sound) – Won * 2002: ''Black Hawk Down'' (Best Sound) – Nominated * 1993: ''JFK'' (Best Sound) – Won * 1979: ''Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope'' (Best Sound) – Won ;

* 2021: ''Greyhound'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Live Action) – Nominated * 2009: ''John Adams'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series for episode Join or Die) – Won * 2009: ''John Adams'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series for episode Independence) – Nominated * 2008: ''Into the Wild'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures) – Nominated * 2007: ''Dreamgirls'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures) – Won * 2003: ''Chicago'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures) – Nominated * 2002: ''Black Hawk Down'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures) – Nominated * 1995: ''True Lies'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures) – Nominated * 1994: ''Cliffhanger'' (Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature Film) – Nominated ; Motion Picture Sound Editors - Golden Reel Award * 2021: ''Greyhound'' (Best Sound Editing – Dialogue/ADR) – Nominated * 2021: ''Greyhound'' (Best Sound Editing – Effects/Foley) – Nominated * 1990: ''Born on the Fourth of July'' (Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects) – Won (Tied with The Abyss) ;

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 ...

s * 2024: ''

Masters of the Air ''Masters of the Air'' is a 2024 American war drama miniseries created by John Shiban and John Orloff for Apple TV+. It is based on the 2007 book of the same name by Donald L. Miller and follows the actions of the 100th Bomb Group, a Boeing ...

'' ( Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special for the episode Part Five) - Pending * 2024: ''

'' ( Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the episode Part Five) - Pending * 2010: '' The Pacific'' ( Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie for the episode Part Two) - Won * 2010: '' The Pacific'' ( Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie for the episode Part Five) – Nominated * 2010: '' The Pacific'' ( Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie for the episode Part Eight) – Nominated * 2010: '' The Pacific'' ( Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie for the episode Part Nine) – Nominated * 2008: ''

'' ( Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie for the episode Join or Die) – Nominated ;

* 2010: ''The Town'' (Best Sound, Editing & Mixing) - Won * 2006: ''Dreamgirls'' (Best Sound, Editing & Mixing) – Won * 2005: ''Collateral'' (Best Sound, Editing & Mixing) – Won * 2004: ''Kill Bill: Vol. 1'' (Best Sound) – Nominated

Controversy

After winning the Oscar in 2007 for his work on ''Dreamgirls'', Minkler exchanged the following dialogue with a reporter: Several online publications found the comments to be controversial, surprising, or otherwise noteworthy. L.A. Times contributor Tom O'Neil reported on the event after contacting O'Connell, receiving the following response from him: Minkler apologized to O'Connell within a few weeks of making his original remarks in an open letter, and by calling and speaking to him personally, as referenced in the letter. Minkler framed his apology with the statement, "A very unfortunate situation has developed because of my stupid answers to some inappropriate questions. I did not seek this spotlight—the press did, as they have in the past. It was wrong of them to ask the questions, and wrong, wrong, wrong of me to answer them the way that I did." Writing on the controversy once again, Tom O'Neil characterized the apology in his LA Times blog as, "Minkler blames the media for his bashing of O'Connell."Los Angeles Times
/ref> As reported in the updated article, O'Connell accepted the apology cordially with the statement, "I think it is time for all of us to move on in the best interest of the sound community, and put this behind us."

References

External links

*
Moving Pictures Media Group

Michael Minkler Bio at Todd-AO website

A video profile of the work done on ''Inglourious Basterds'' by the SoundWorks Collection

Article at ''Mix'' magazine covering Minkler moving to Todd-AO Hollywood

CSS Studios Company Blog with Minkler news

* ttp://en.wordpress.com/tag/michael-minkler/ WordPress Blog Entries covering Michael Minkler
Story about Michael Minkler's CAS Award win for ''Dreamgirls''

Article about Michael Minkler's 2010 Oscar Nominations at ''ProSoundWeb''

Article at The Hollywood Reporter covering the work done on ''Inglourious Basterds'' written by Debra Kaufman

Michael Minkler Information at Freebase
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minkler, Michael 1952 births Living people American audio engineers Best Sound BAFTA Award winners Best Sound Mixing Academy Award winners CAS Career Achievement Award honorees Engineers from Los Angeles Primetime Emmy Award winners