
Biography
William Hornbeck (August 23, 1901 – October 11, 1983) was an American film editor and film industry executive. In a 1977 poll of film editors, he had been called "the best film editor the industry has produced."
He was nominated four times for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing, and won the award for A Place in the Sun (1951). Other important credits include It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Giant (1956), and I Want to Live! (1958). He edited films from notable directors including Zoltan Korda, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. Universal Pictures almost brought him on board to completely re-edit George Lucas' American Graffiti.Hornbeck started his editing career in his teens with the Keystone Studios, which were located close to his family's home in Los Angeles, California. In the 1920s he became head of the editing department, working on dozens of films each year. In 1934 he went to England, where he headed the editing department for Alexander Korda's film production company. He was generally credited as the "supervising editor"; an exception was The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), where he was credited as the editor. In 1941 he returned to the United States, and during World War II he served in the Pictorial Service of the Signal Corps of the United States Army. His unit, which produced the films in the Why We Fight series, was led by Frank Capra. Following the war he worked as an editor for a succession of studios and as a freelance editor. In 1960 Hornbeck became the Supervisor for Editorial Operations for Universal Pictures. In 1966 he became a vice-president of the same company. Hornbeck retired in 1976.Hornbeck was one of the original members of the American Cinema Editors, the honorary society of film editors, when it was founded in 1950. Hornbeck died in 1983. In her appreciation, Jeanine Basinger wrote "A true pioneer and a major international influence on film editing, Hornbeck and his work should be remembered for its quality and influence, as well as for his contribution in terms of training a whole generation of young editors in both England and America." Some of his papers are included in the Ogden and Mary Louise Reid Cinema Archives at Wesleyan University
Filmography
All 82
Movies 82

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

A Hole in the Head (1959)

I Want to Live! (1958)

The Quiet American (1958)

Giant (1956)

The Girl Rush (1955)

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Act of Love (1953)

Shane (1953)

Something to Live For (1952)

A Place in the Sun (1951)

Riding High (1950)

The Heiress (1949)

State of the Union (1948)

Singapore (1947)

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Two Down and One to Go (1945)

Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia (1943)

Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer (1943)

Why We Fight: The Nazis Strike (1943)

Why We Fight: Prelude to War (1942)

Lydia (1941)

That Hamilton Woman (1941)

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

21 Days (1940)

The Spy in Black (1939)

Elephant Boy (1937)

Men Are Not Gods (1936)

The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936)

Things to Come (1936)

The Ghost Goes West (1935)

Sanders of the River (1935)

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)

Dog-gone Babies (1934)

Hawkins & Watkins Inc. (1932)

Dream House (1932)

The Tamale Vendor (1931)

Ghost Parade (1931)

The Bluffer (1930)

Matchmaking Mamma (1929)

Clunked on the Corner (1929)

The Campus Vamp (1928)

The Campus Carmen (1928)

Smith's Army Life (1928)

Run, Girl, Run (1928)

Fiddlesticks (1927)

Smith's Candy Shop (1927)

The Pride of Pikeville (1927)

Broke in China (1927)

A Small Town Princess (1927)

Love's Last Laugh (1926)

Smith's Landlord (1926)

Hoboken to Hollywood (1926)

A Sea Dog's Tale (1926)

Ice Cold Cocos (1926)

Hayfoot, Strawfoot? (1926)

Spanking Breezes (1926)

Circus Today (1926)

Saturday Afternoon (1926)

A Sweet Pickle (1925)

A Rainy Knight (1925)

Butter Fingers (1925)

Cold Turkey (1925)

Lucky Stars (1925)

Super-Hooper-Dyne Lizzies (1925)

His Marriage Wow (1925)

Water Wagons (1925)

Boobs in the Wood (1925)

The Sea Squawk (1925)

Bull and Sand (1924)

Galloping Bungalows (1924)

The Hansom Cabman (1924)

Lizzies of the Field (1924)

East of the Water Plug (1924)

The First 100 Years (1924)

Wall Street Blues (1924)

His New Mamma (1924)

The Cat's Meow (1924)

Black Oxfords (1924)

Flickering Youth (1924)

The Hollywood Kid (1924)

Scarem Much (1924)
Ratings
Information
Known forEditing
GenderMale
Birthday1901-08-23
Deathday1983-10-11 (82 years old)
Place of birthLos Angeles, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also known asW. Hornbeck, William W. Hornbeck, Wm. Hornbeck
AwardsAcademy Award for Best Film Editing
This article uses material from Wikipedia.