Anne Voase Coates (12 December 1925 – 8 May 2018) was a British

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 which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film edit ...

with a more than 60-year-long career. She was perhaps best known as the editor of

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

epic film Epic films are a style of filmmaking with large-scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The usage of the term has shifted over time, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply synonymous with big-budget filmmaking. Like epics in ...

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

'' in 1962, for which she won an Oscar. Coates was nominated five times for the

Academy Award for Best Film Editing The Academy Award for Best Film Editing is one of the annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Nominations for this award are closely correlated with the Academy Award for Best Picture. For 33 consecutive years, ...

for the films ''Lawrence of Arabia'', ''

Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (french: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu) is a 1959 play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in 117 ...

'' (1963), '' The Elephant Man'' (1980), ''

In the Line of Fire ''In the Line of Fire'' is a 1993 American political action thriller film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich and Rene Russo. Written by Jeff Maguire, the film is about a disillusioned and obsessed former C ...

'' (1993) and ''

Out of Sight ''Out of Sight'' is a 1998 American crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Frank, adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1996 novel of the same name. The first of several collaborations between Soderbergh and actor Georg ...

'' (1998). In an industry where women accounted for only 16 percent of all editors working on the top 250 films of 2004, and 80 percent of the films had absolutely no women on their editing teams at all, Coates thrived as a top film editor. British Independent Film Awards – (BIFA)
She was awarded BAFTA's highest honour, a

BAFTA Fellowship The BAFTA Fellowship, or the Academy Fellowship, is a lifetime achievement award presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in recognition of "outstanding achievement in the art forms of the moving image". The award is t ...

, in February 2007 "BAFTA crowns 'Queen' best film" 11 February 2007 – Variety (subscription)
/ref> and was given an

Academy Honorary Award The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Moti ...

, which are popularly known as a Lifetime Achievement Oscar, in November 2016 by 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 with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

Early life and education

Coates was born in

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earliest archaeological evidence for huma ...

, Surrey, England, the daughter of Kathleen Voase (née Rank) and Major Laurence Calvert Coates. Her first passion was horses. As a girl, she thought she might become a race-horse trainer. Murch, Walter (2000)
"Walter Murch interviews Anne V. Coates"
webpage originally posted at the editorsnet.com website; webpage archived at WebCite on 2008-07-07 fro

Coates attended the

village school called the Micklefield School. She then attended High Trees School in Horley (

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

). She graduated from Bartrum Gables in

Broadstairs Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St Peter's, and had a population in 2011 o ...

(

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

). Before becoming a film editor, she worked as a nurse at Sir Archibald McIndoe's pioneering

plastic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...

hospital in East Grinstead, England.Erickson, Hal (undated)
"Anne V. Coates"
webpage from ''Allrovi Guide''; online version retrieved 7 July 2008.

Career

Coates became interested in cinema after seeing ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...

'' (1939) directed by

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), '' The Best Years o ...

. She decided to pursue film directing and started working as an assistant at a production company specializing in religious films (also doing projectionist and sound recording work). There she fixed film prints of religious short films before sending them to various British church tours. This splicing work eventually led to the rare job as an assistant film editor at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

, where she worked on various films. Her first experience was assisting for film editor Reggie Mills. Coates later worked with film director David Lean on ''

''. She had a long and varied career, and continued to edit films, including ''

'' and '' Erin Brockovich'' (both for

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direct ...

). Coates was a member of both the Guild of British Film and Television Editors (GBFTE) and

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

(ACE). ''Variety''s Eileen Kowalski noted "many of the editorial greats have been women:

Margaret Booth Margaret Booth (January 16, 1898 – October 28, 2002) was an American film editor. Early life and career Born in Los Angeles, she started her Hollywood career as a "patcher", editing films by D. W. Griffith, around 1915. Her brother was actor ...

, Dede Allen, Verna Fields, Thelma Schoonmaker, Anne V. Coates and

Dorothy Spencer Dorothy Spencer (February 3, 1909 – May 23, 2002), known as Dot Spencer, was an American film editor with 75 feature film credits from a career that spanned more than 50 years. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing on four oc ...

."Eileen Kowalski
Profile
''Variety'', 14 November 2001.

Personal life

Coates was at the centre of a film industry family. Besides being the niece of J. Arthur Rank, she was married to the director

Douglas Hickox Douglas Arthur Hickox (10 January 1929 – 25 July 1988) was an English film and television director. Biography Hickox was born in London, where he was educated at Emanuel School. He started in the film industry at age 17, working at Pinewood ...

for many years. Her brother, John Coates, was a producer (''The Snowman'' and ''Yellow Submarine''). Her sons,

Anthony Hickox Anthony Hickox (born 30th January 1959) is an English film director, producer, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror genre, with films like '' Waxwork'' and its sequel, '' Waxwork II: Lost in Time'', '' Sundown: T ...

(b. 1959) and James Hickox (b. 1965) were film directors. Her daughter

Emma E. Hickox Emma E. Hickox A.C.E (born 11 April 1964) is a British film editor based in Los Angeles and London. A member of American Cinema Editors, Hickox has worked as a features and TV editor since the early 1990s. She has a varied and versatile resume ...

(b. 1964) is a film editor.

Death

Coates died on 8 May 2018, aged 92, at the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California.

Quotes

* "In a way, I've never looked at myself as a woman in the business. I've just looked at myself as an editor. I mean, I'm sure I've been turned down because I'm a woman, but then other times I've been used because they wanted a woman editor." * "...I guess I've been lucky that most of the time I've been in the same direction as the director. I try to work with directors whose work I like and find interesting. When I was younger, I had to find work where I could, and I had some not great experiences with directors." * "You have the courage of your convictions. When you're editing you have to make thousands of decisions every day and if you dither over them all the time, you'll never get anything done."Coates, Anne V. (2007)
"Things I've Learned As A Moviemaker"
, article posted on 3 February 2007 at ''MovieMaker'' website retrieved 7 July 2008. * "I seem to get the rhythm from the performances. I like to feel I'm very much an actor's editor. I look very much to the performances and cut very much for performances rather than the action. I think that's important, what's in the eyes of the actor."

Selected filmography

* 1947: ''The End of the River'' – second editor (uncredited) * 1949: ''The History of Mr. Polly'' – assistant editor (uncredited) * 1952: ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with '' Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to ...

'' * 1953: '' Grand National Night'' * 1954: '' Forbidden Cargo'' * 1955: ''

To Paris with Love ''To Paris with Love'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Robert Hamer and starring Alec Guinness, Odile Versois and Vernon Gray. Premise A father and son play matchmaker for each other during a trip to Paris. Cast *Alec Guinness as C ...

'' * 1956: ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' * 1957: '' The Truth About Women'' * 1958: ''

The Horse's Mouth ''The Horse's Mouth'' is a 1944 novel by Anglo-Irish writer Joyce Cary, the third in his ''First Trilogy'', whose first two books are ''Herself Surprised'' (1941) and ''To Be A Pilgrim'' (1942). ''The Horse's Mouth'' follows the adventures of ...

'' * 1960: '' Tunes of Glory'' * 1961: ''

Don't Bother to Knock ''Don't Bother to Knock'' is a 1952 American psychological film noir thriller starring Richard Widmark and Marilyn Monroe and directed by Roy Ward Baker. The screenplay was written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel ''Mischief'' by C ...

'' * 1962: ''

'' * 1964: ''

'' * 1965: ''

Young Cassidy ''Young Cassidy'' is a 1965 British biography drama film directed by Jack Cardiff and starring Rod Taylor, Julie Christie, and Maggie Smith. It is a biographical drama based upon the life of the playwright Seán O'Casey. Plot Set in 1911 and th ...

'' * 1965: '' Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'' * 1966: '' Hotel Paradiso'' * 1968: '' Great Catherine'' * 1970: '' The Adventurers'' * 1971: ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Li ...

'' * 1972: '' Follow Me!'' * 1972: ''

A War of Children ''A War of Children'' is a 1972 television film directed by George Schaefer, written by James Costigan, and starring Vivien Merchant, Jenny Agutter, and John Ronane. Premise During The Troubles in Northern Ireland, two middle-class families in ...

'' * 1973: '' Bequest to the Nation'' * 1973: ''

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

'' * 1974: ''

11 Harrowhouse ''11 Harrowhouse'' is a 1974 British heist comedy thriller film directed by Aram Avakian and starring Charles Grodin, Candice Bergen, James Mason, Trevor Howard, and John Gielgud in Panavision. It was adapted by Charles Grodin based upon the ...

'' * 1974: '' Murder on the Orient Express'' * 1975: ''

Man Friday Friday is one of the main characters of Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel ''Robinson Crusoe'' and its sequel '' The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe''. Robinson Crusoe names the man Friday, with whom he cannot at first communicate, because they fi ...

'' * 1976: '' Aces High'' * 1976: '' The Eagle Has Landed'' * 1978: ''

The Legacy The Legacy may refer to: * '' Le Legs'' or ''The Legacy'', a play by Pierre de Marivaux * The Legacy (professional wrestling), a former professional wrestling faction in World Wrestling Entertainment * ''The Legacy'' (album), an album by Testament ...

'' * 1980: '' The Elephant Man'' * 1981: '' The Bushido Blade'' – supervising editor with Yoshitami Kuroiwa * 1981: ''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

'' * 1983: ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'' * 1984: '' Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes'' * 1986: '' Lady Jane'' * 1986: '' Raw Deal'' * 1987: ''

Masters of the Universe ''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or '' She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince A ...

'' * 1989: ''

'' – editorial consultant 1989 reconstruction and restoration of 1962 film * 1989: ''

Farewell to the King ''Farewell to the King'' is a 1989 American action adventure drama film written and directed by John Milius. It stars Nick Nolte, Nigel Havers, Frank McRae, and Gerry Lopez and is loosely based on the 1969 novel ''L'Adieu au Roi'' by Pierre Scho ...

'' * 1989: '' Listen to Me'' * 1990: ''

I Love You to Death ''I Love You to Death'' is a 1990 American black comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring an ensemble cast featuring Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, Joan Plowright, River Phoenix, William Hurt, and Keanu Reeves. The screenplay by John ...

'' * 1991: ''

What About Bob? ''What About Bob?'' is a 1991 American black comedy film directed by Frank Oz and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Murray plays Bob Wiley, a troubled patient who follows his self-centered psychotherapist Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss) o ...

'' * 1992: '' Chaplin'' * 1993: ''

'' * 1994: ''

Pontiac Moon ''Pontiac Moon'' is a 1994 adventure film directed by Peter Medak, and produced by Robert Schaffel and Youssef Vahabzadeh. The film stars Ted Danson as Washington Bellamy, a "pigheaded" science teacher in a small town of California, as well as M ...

'' * 1995: '' Congo'' * 1996: ''

Striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exo ...

'' * 1997: ''

Out to Sea ''Out to Sea'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge and written by Robert Nelson Jacobs. It was the final film role of Donald O'Connor, Gloria DeHaven and Edward Mulhare, and the penultimate film of Jack Lemmon ...

'' * 1998: ''

'' * 2000: '' Erin Brockovich'' * 2000: '' Passion of Mind'' * 2001: '' Sweet November'' * 2002: '' Unfaithful'' * 2004: '' Taking Lives'' * 2006: ''

Catch and Release Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posing, posed photography as trophy, proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooke ...

'' * 2007: '' The Golden Compass'' * 2010: '' Extraordinary Measures'' * 2015: ''

Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...

Academy Awards

* 1963:

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for ''

'' * 1965:

(nominee) for ''

'' * 1981:

(nominee) for '' The Elephant Man'' * 1994:

(nominee) for ''

'' * 1999:

(nominee) for ''

'' * 2017:

aka Lifetime Achievement Award

BAFTA awards

* 1975:

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

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 nomi ...

(nominee) for '' Murder on the Orient Express'' * 1981:

(nominee) for '' The Elephant Man'' * 1993:

(nominee) for ''

'' * 2001:

(nominee) for '' Erin Brockovich'' * 2007:

Other honors

* 1963:

, ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film (nominee) for ''

'' * 1965:

, ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film (nominee) for ''

'' * 1994:

, ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film (nominee) for ''

'' * 1995:

, Career Achievement Award * 1997: Women in Film Crystal Award, International Award * 1998:

, ACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film (nominee) for ''

'' * 1999:

Online Film Critics Society Award The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) is an international professional association of online film journalists, historians and scholars who publish their work on the World Wide Web. The organization was founded in January 1997 by Harvey S. Karten ...

, Best Film Editing (nominee) for ''

'' * 2012: Motion Picture Editors Guild, best edited films of all time for ''Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962) and ''Out of Sight'' (1998)

References

External links

* *
Anne V. Coates credits – AMCTV.com Biography

* ttp://womenfilmeditors.princeton.edu/coates-anne-v/ Anne V. Coateson ''Women Film Editors'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Coates, Anne V. 1925 births 2018 deaths Academy Honorary Award recipients American Cinema Editors English film editors Best Film Editing Academy Award winners People from Reigate BAFTA fellows Officers of the Order of the British Empire British women film editors