(5 March 1934 – 24 October 2024)
Celebrated American film editor John Forbes Burnett, A.C.E., passed away on October 24, 2024 at the age of 90. With a career spanning five decades, Burnett’s editing legacy includes cutting iconic films like The Way We Were (1973), Grease (1978), and The Goodbye Girl (1977).
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Burnett grew up in Southern California. His career began when Warner Bros. studio head Jack Warner hired him as a studio messenger. Having been denied at every other studio, Burnett was grateful to Warner for giving him his start and the two maintained a connection throughout Burnett's career. After serving in the Korean War, Burnett transitioned from messenger to uncredited roles in the editorial department, working under such legendary directors as Billy Wilder, Michael Curtiz, and George Cukor. Burnett cut his teeth assisting on films like The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), The Music Man (1962), Gypsy (1962), and My Fair Lady (1964). When editor Ralph E. Winters was tasked with shooting second unit, Burnett stepped in to assist on Blake Edwards’ The Great Race (1965), marking the start of a long collaboration that included editing Edwards’ Wild Rovers (1971). During his assistant editor days, Burnett also worked with editor Sam O'Steen on the Mike Nichols' classic Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Burnett’s breakthrough as a lead editor came with The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), which began a productive partnership with director Robert Ellis Miller. His collaboration with director Herbert Ross started with The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) and continued with The Sunshine Boys (1975).
Burnett’s influence extended beyond his editing work too. As president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild (1975-76), he oversaw significant contract negotiations, securing the largest wage increase in IATSE history (over a 50% increase) and helped establish the editor credit in opening film titles as an industry standard. Burnett was a board member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1975-1985 and executive secretary from 1983-1984. In 1989, Burnett won an Emmy for editing the miniseries War and Remembrance. He received a career achievement award from the American Cinema Editors in 2003 and taught a film editing course at the American Film Institute (AFI).
CHAD KENNERK
