| Honorific suffix | ACE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth date | October 23, 1942 (age 83) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth place | Oklahoma City, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Oklahoma, College of Arts & Sciences Associate of Arts, Cottey College, Nevada, MO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Film editor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1970–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | John Bailey (m. 1972; died 2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards |
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Carol Sue Littleton, ACE (born October 23, 1942)[1] is an American film editor. Her work includes Body Heat (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Big Chill (1983), Places in the Heart (1984), Silverado (1985), The Accidental Tourist (1988), and Wyatt Earp (1994). She won the Primetime Emmy Award for the ABC movie Tuesdays with Morrie (1999). In January 2024, she received an Honorary Oscar for her work.
Early life and education
Carol Littleton was born 1942 in Oklahoma City[2] but her family later moved to Miami in Northeastern Oklahoma, where she grew up.[3] She attended the University of Oklahoma College of Arts & Sciences, obtaining her bachelor's degree in 1965 and her master's in 1970.[4]
Career
Her obsession with film editing started in France, when Littleton became acquainted with French New Wave cinema. During the 1970s, Carol Littleton owned a production company that made commercials. She moved into working as a film editor with director Karen Arthur on Legacy (1975). Other films were to follow and Littleton received an Academy Award nomination for editing Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Commencing with Body Heat (1981), Littleton had an extended collaboration with the director Lawrence Kasdan. Kasdan hired Littleton for Body Heat not only for her skill, but specifically because she was a woman. He believed only a woman editor could bring the eroticism he wanted to the film.[5] Of the 11 films that Kasdan has directed, Littleton edited nine.
In the late 1980s, Carol Littleton was elected to and served as the president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild. Littleton served as president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild from 1988 to 1991, and as vice president from 1994 to 2001, as well as from 2005 to 2007. Littleton has been elected as a member of the American Cinema Editors, and has served as ACE vice president since 2019. She is also a current member of the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Film Editors Branch). Littleton is one of the editors that author Gabriella Oldham interviewed for her book First Cut: Conversations with Film Editors (1992).
Personal life
Carol Littleton was married to cinematographer John Bailey from 1972 until his death in 2023.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Legacy | Karen Arthur | |
| 1977 | The Hazing | Douglas Curtis | Alternative title: The Curious Case of the Campus Corpse |
| 1978 | The Mafu Cage | Karen Arthur | Alternative title: Don't Ring the Doorbell |
| 1979 | French Postcards | Willard Huyck | |
| 1980 | Roadie | Alan Rudolph | As supervising editor Tom Walls was the main editor |
| 1981 | Body Heat | Lawrence Kasdan | |
| 1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Steven Spielberg | |
| 1983 | The Big Chill | Lawrence Kasdan | |
| 1984 | Places in the Heart | Robert Benton | |
| 1985 | Silverado | Lawrence Kasdan | |
| 1986 | Brighton Beach Memoirs | Gene Saks | |
| 1987 | Swimming to Cambodia | Jonathan Demme | |
| 1988 | Vibes | Ken Kwapis | |
| 1988 | The Accidental Tourist | Lawrence Kasdan | |
| 1990 | White Palace | Luis Mandoki | |
| 1991 | Grand Canyon | Lawrence Kasdan | |
| 1993 | Benny & Joon | Jeremiah S. Chechik | |
| 1994 | China Moon | John Bailey | Co-edited with Jill Savitt |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | Lawrence Kasdan | |
| 1996 | Diabolique | Jeremiah S. Chechik | |
| 1998 | Twilight | Robert Benton | |
| 1998 | Beloved | Jonathan Demme | Co-edited with Andy Keir |
| 1999 | Mumford | Lawrence Kasdan | Co-edited with William Steinkamp |
| 2000 | What Women Want | Nancy Meyers | As additional editor Thomas J. Nordberg & Stephen A. Rotter were the main editors |
| 2001 | The Anniversary Party | Jennifer Jason Leigh Alan Cumming | Co-edited with Suzanne Spangler |
| 2002 | The Truth About Charlie | Jonathan Demme | Co-edited with Suzanne Spangler |
| 2003 | Dreamcatcher | Lawrence Kasdan | Co-edited with Raúl Dávalos |
| 2004 | The Manchurian Candidate | Jonathan Demme | Co-edited with Craig McKay |
| 2007 | In the Land of Women | Jon Kasdan | Co-edited with Marty Levenstein |
| 2007 | Margot at the Wedding | Noah Baumbach | |
| 2008 | The Other Boleyn Girl | Justin Chadwick | Co-edited with Paul Knight |
| 2010 | Country Strong | Shana Feste | Co-edited with Conor O’Neill |
| 2011 | The Rum Diary | Bruce Robinson | |
| 2012 | Darling Companion | Lawrence Kasdan | |
| 2015 | A Walk in the Woods | Ken Kwapis | Co-edited with Julie Garcés |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Battered | Peter Werner | TV movie |
| 1999 | Tuesdays with Morrie | Mick Jackson | ABC television movie |
| 2016 | All the Way | Jay Roach | HBO television movie |
| 2018 | My Dinner with Hervé | Sacha Gervasi | HBO television film |
Accolades
| Year | Association | Award | Project | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Academy Award | Best Film Editing | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | ||
| BAFTA Film Award | Best Editing | ||||
| American Cinema Editors | Best Edited Feature Film | ||||
| 2000 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Tuesdays with Morrie | ||
| 2016 | American Cinema Editors | Career Achievement Award | |||
| 2017 | Best Edited Miniseries or Television Movie | All the Way | |||
| 2023 | Academy Award | Honorary Academy Award | |||
See also
References
- ^ "Academy Collections – Carol Littleton". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
- ^ Betty Littleton: A Family Portrait. AuthorHouse, 2010, ISBN 978-1452043555, pp. 275-295.
- ^ An Interview with Carol Littleton, ACE. In: medium.com, February 3, 2017
- ^ University of Oklahoma webpage Archived September 2, 2006 at the Wayback Machine retrieved July 9, 2008.
- ^ Ally., Acker (1991). Reel women : pioneers of the cinema, 1896 to the present. New York: Continuum. ISBN 0826404995. OCLC 22182559
External links
- Carol Littleton at IMDb
- Focus on Editing: Emmy Winner — Carol Littleton, A. C. E. TV Technology NewBay Media
- Kunkes, Michael (1 January 2010). "Carol’s Colleagues - Some Words from Her Admirers". CineMontage. Motion Picture Editors Guild. Retrieved 17 April 2025.