Robert Swink
Robert Swink was an American film editor who edited nearly 60 feature films during a career that spanned 46 years.
Born in Rocky Ford, Colorado, Swink and his family moved to Hollywood in 1927. After graduating from North [Hollywood High School] in 1936, he joined RKO Pictures as an editing apprentice. During World War II, he edited training films for the Army Special Services. His first screen credit was the 1943 comedy short Double Up.
For the next five years, Swink edited mostly B movies until George Stevens hired him for I Remember Mama. He edited several Westerns in 1950, and the following year was hired by William Wyler to work on Detective Story. It was the first of 11 projects on which the two men collaborated. Swink left RKO to join Wyler at Paramount in 1952, and his credits at the studio include Carrie, Roman Holiday, and The Desperate Hours. Among his assistants in this era was Hal Ashby, who became a distinguished editor and director.
In 1964, Swink edited The Best Man for Franklin J. Schaffner. They worked together on four additional films, including Papillon, Islands in the Stream, The [Boys from Brazil (film)|The Boys from Brazil], and Sphinx. Swink came out of retirement to edit the 1989 film Welcome Home when Schaffner died right after completing principal photography on the project.
Swink worked as a second unit director on The Big Country, The Collector, How to Steal a Million, The [Only Game in Town (1970 film)|The Only Game in Town], and The Liberation of L.B. Jones.
Swink was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Roman Holiday, Funny Girl, and The Boys from Brazil. He received the American Cinema Editors Career Achievement Award in 1993.
Swink died of a heart attack in Santa Maria, California.
Selected filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Role | Notes |
| 1958 | The Big Country | William Wyler | Supervising editor | Sixth collaboration with William Wyler |
| 1968 | Funny Girl | William Wyler | Supervising film editor | |
| 1970 | The Liberation of L.B. Jones | William Wyler | Supervising editor | Eleventh collaboration with William Wyler |
| 1971 | Cactus in the Snow | A. Martin Zweiback | Supervising film editor | |
| 1972 | The Cowboys | Mark Rydell | Supervising film editor | |
| 1982 | And They're Off | Theodore H. Kuhns III | Supervising editor |
| Year | Film | Director | Role | Notes |
| 1958 | The Big Country | William Wyler | Director: Second unit | |
| 1965 | The Collector | William Wyler | Second unit director | |
| 1966 | How to Steal a Million | William Wyler | Second unit director | |
| 1970 | The Only Game in Town | George Stevens | Second unit director | Third collaboration with George Stevens |
| 1970 | The Liberation of L.B. Jones | William Wyler | Second unit director |
;Shorts
| Year | Film | Director |
| 1943 | Double Up | Ben Holmes |
| 1943 | Hold Your Temper | Lloyd French |
| 1943 | Gem-Jams | Lambert Hillyer |
| 1943 | Indian Signs | Charles E. Roberts |
| 1943 | Radio Runaround | Lambert Hillyer |
| 1943 | Hot Foot | Ben Holmes |
| 1943 | Seeing Nellie Home | Ben Holmes |
| 1943 | Cutie on Duty | Ben Holmes |
| 1943 | Unlucky Dog | Ben Holmes |
| 1943 | Wedtime Stories | Ben Holmes |
| 1944 | Prunes and Politics | Ben Holmes |
| 1944 | Say Uncle | Ben Holmes |
| 1944 | Poppa Knows Worst | Ben Holmes |
;TV movies
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 1971 | In Search of America | Paul Bogart | Second unit director |
;TV series
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1952 | Your Jeweler's Showcase | 5 episodes |
| 1956 | Sneak Preview | 1 episode |
| 1965 | Peyton Place | 8 episodes |