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52 CINEMONTAGE / SEP-OCT 14 before enrolling in the US Marines and serving in the Korean War. Leaving the military, Rolf was given career guidance by his stepfather, Jack Donohue — a choreographer and director at MGM — who advised him to go into the cutting room. "You will learn everything about directing by being a film editor first," he recalled being told. He entered into film editing with the eventual desire to move into directing, but he stayed in the editor's chair throughout his four-decade career, which saw him work on over 40 movies. The editor shared his Academy Award for Best Film Editing for The Right Stuff with co-editors Glenn Farr, Lisa Fruchtman, Stephen A. Rotter and Douglas Stewart. That same year, he won an ACE Eddie Award from the American Cinema Editors (ACE) for his work on WarGames. In addition, Rolf shared a BAFTA nomination for editing Taxi Driver (1976), and ACE Eddie nominations for The Right Stuff and The Horse Whisperer (1998). Also, he was honored with an award for Outstanding Achievement in Editing in 2001 from the Hollywood Film Festival, and a Career Achievement Award in 2003 from ACE, for which he served two terms as president. He was also a Governor on the Film Editors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 15 years. Rolf 's credits also include The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973), The Last American Hero (1973), French Connection II (1975), Black Sunday (1977), New York, New York (1977), Heaven's Gate (1980), Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Black Rain (1989), Jacob's Ladder (1990), The Pelican Brief (1993), Dangerous Minds (1995), Heat (1995) and Equilibrium (2002). Most recently, Rolf had worked on the 2008 Russian film Admiral, and the TV series that subsequently grew out of that film the following year. In a 2010 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the editor said that Jacob's Ladder was among the projects he liked working on the most. "I so admire [director] Adrian Lyne for trying to do it," he commented. "It was sold as a horror picture, which it was not; it was a psychological thriller. I think had it been marketed that way, it would have done much better. I'm very proud of that one. "My job is to help the director realize his vision," Rolf added. "I think people hire me because they know that I'm going to put in a full day, I'm going to tell them the truth, and I'll voice my opinion when I think it's needed." He was always quick to give credit to others when they deserved it. At the 2013 ACE EditFest in London, while in conversation on stage with Anne B. Coates, ACE, Rolf told a few cutting room stories from Taxi Driver, chiefly regarding the "You talking to me?" scene. "I had no idea it would take off and become a signature scene in this movie," he confessed. "Because when I saw the dailies, I said, 'What do I do with this?' There is no reverse. There was no coverage. Essentially what you saw was almost every frame available to put together. So I had no option. And so when I put it together and showed it to Marty the first time, he went 'Yeah, it works.' And I said, 'What's he talking about? It doesn't work.' I felt no confidence in that scene." He then went on to speak about the repeated action from the same sequence: "There's a repeat. When he turns around. And then we go back and we do it again. That was Marty. That was not me. I said, 'It's going to look like a mistake, Marty.' Which, to me, it did look like a mistake. But it's now part and parcel of the entire thing. That was strictly his contribution and it was a big one, obviously." Another quote from Rolf at EditFest summed up his attitude about editing: "The most important talent to develop in the cutting room is diplomacy. Never hold anyone's idea up to ridicule. Try anything and be ready to fight for what you think is right." ACE released the following statement upon Rolf 's passing: "Tom Rolf, ACE, was not only a prolific film editor but an integral and beloved member of our organization. Over the years, he served ACE in many capacities — demonstrating a deep commitment to mentoring others, illuminating the editing craft, and sharing his wisdom and experience with students and colleagues. His impressive body of work and his humanity influenced many of his peers, leaving a singular legacy that will endure. We will miss him dearly and offer our heartfelt condolences to his family." Rolf is survived by his wife Cathy, with son and daughter, Frederick and Louise. His funeral will take place in Stockholm, at the Rolf family gravesite, on September 2. PASSAGES CINEMONTA GE Read the Best Stories in Post-Production Now Also Available in a Digital Edition for Reading on Your Computer or Mobile Device. Visit www.editorsguild.com/magazine.cfm