Anne Voase Coates (12 December 1925 – 8 May 2018) was an English film editor with a more than 60-year-long career. She was perhaps best known as the editor of David Lean's epic film Lawrence of Arabia (1962), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. She was also Oscar-nominated for Becket (1963), The Elephant Man (1980), In the Line of Fire (1993) and Out of Sight (1998). In 2007, she became a BAFTA Fellow.

Early life and education Coates was born in Reigate, Surrey, England, the daughter of Kathleen Voase (née Rank) and Major Laurence Calvert Coates. Her first passion was horses. As a girl, she thought she might become a race-horse trainer.Murch, Walter (2000). "Walter Murch interviews Anne V. Coates", webpage originally posted at the editorsnet.com website; webpage archived at WebCite on 2008-07-07 from this original URL.

Coates attended the Reigate village school called the Micklefield School. She then attended High Trees School in Horley (Surrey). Her final school was Bartrum Gables in Broadstairs (Kent).

Before becoming a film editor, she worked as a nurse at Sir Archibald McIndoe's pioneering plastic surgery hospital in East Grinstead, England.Erickson, Hal (undated). "Anne V. Coates", webpage from Allrovi Guide; online version retrieved 7 July 2008.

Career Coates became interested in cinema after seeing Wuthering Heights (1939) directed by William Wyler. She decided to pursue film directing and started working as an assistant at a production company specializing in religious films (also doing projectionist and sound recording work). There she fixed film prints of religious short films before sending them to various British church tours. This splicing work eventually led to the rare job as an assistant film editor at Pinewood Studios, where she worked on various films. Her first experience was assisting for film editor Reggie Mills.

Coates later worked with film director David Lean on Lawrence of Arabia. She had a long and varied career, and continued to edit films, including Out of Sight and Erin Brockovich (both for Steven Soderbergh). Coates was a member of both the Guild of British Film and Television Editors (GBFTE) and American Cinema Editors (ACE).

Varietys Eileen Kowalski noted "many of the editorial greats have been women: Margaret Booth, Dede Allen, Verna Fields, Thelma Schoonmaker, Anne V. Coates and Dorothy Spencer."Eileen Kowalski Profile, Variety, 14 November 2001.

Style and recognition In an industry where women accounted for only 16 per cent of all editors working on the top 250 films of 2004, and 80 per cent of the films had absolutely no women on their editing teams at all, Coates thrived as a top film editor.British Independent Film Awards – (BIFA) She was awarded BAFTA's highest honour, a BAFTA Fellowship, in February 2007"BAFTA crowns 'Queen' best film" 11 February 2007 – Variety (subscription) and was given an Academy Honorary Award, which are popularly known as a Lifetime Achievement Oscar, in November 2016 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Over the course of her career she has stated her style as being: "In a way, I've never looked at myself as a woman in the business. I've just looked at myself as an editor. I mean, I'm sure I've been turned down because I'm a woman, but then other times I've been used because they wanted a woman editor." "...I guess I've been lucky that most of the time I've been in the same direction as the director. I try to work with directors whose work I like and find interesting. When I was younger, I had to find work where I could, and I had some not great experiences with directors." "You have the courage of your convictions. When you're editing you have to make thousands of decisions every day and if you dither over them all the time, you'll never get anything done."Coates, Anne V. (2007). "Things I've Learned As A Moviemaker" , article posted on 3 February 2007 at MovieMaker website retrieved 7 July 2008. "I seem to get the rhythm from the performances. I like to feel I'm very much an actor's editor. I look very much to the performances and cut very much for performances rather than the action. I think that's important, what's in the eyes of the actor."

Personal life Marriage and family Coates was at the centre of a film industry family. Besides being the niece of J. Arthur Rank, she was married to the director Douglas Hickox for many years. Her brother, John Coates, was a producer (The Snowman and Yellow Submarine). Her sons, Anthony Hickox (1959-2023) and James Hickox (b. 1965) were film directors. Her daughter Emma E. Hickox (b. 1964) is a film editor.

Death Coates died on 8 May 2018, aged 92, at the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.

Filmography Film YearTitleDirectorNotes 1952 The Pickwick Papers Noel Langley 1953 Grand National Night Bob McNaught 1954 Forbidden Cargo Harold French 1955 To Paris with Love Robert Hamer 1956 Lost Guy Green 1957 The Truth About Women Muriel Box 1958 The Horse's MouthRonald Neame 1960 Tunes of Glory 1961 Don't Bother to Knock Cyril Frankel 1962 Lawrence of Arabia David Lean 1964 Becket Peter Glenville 1965 Young Cassidy Jack Cardiff Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines Ken Annakinwith Gordon Stone 1966 Hotel Paradiso Peter Glenville 1968 Great Catherine Gordon Flemyng 1970 The AdventurersLewis Gilbert 1971 Friends 1972 Follow Me! Carol Reed 1973 Bequest to the Nation James Cellan Jones 1974 11 Harrowhouse Aram Avakian Murder on the Orient Express Sidney Lumet 1975 Man FridayJack Gold 1976 Aces High The Eagle Has Landed John Sturges 1978 The Legacy Richard Marquand 1980 The Elephant Man David Lynch 1981 The Bushido Blade Tom Kotani Supervising editor Ragtime Milos Forman with Antony Gibbs and Stanley Warnow 1983 The Pirates of Penzance Wilford Leach 1984 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Hugh Hudson 1986 Lady Jane Trevor Nunn Raw Deal John Irvin 1987 Masters of the Universe Gary Goddard 1989 Farewell to the King John Miliuswith Carroll Timothy O'Meara Listen to Me Douglas Day Stewartwith Bud S. Smith 1990 I Love You to Death Lawrence Kasdan 1991 What About Bob? Frank Oz 1992 Chaplin Richard Attenborough 1993 In the Line of Fire Wolfgang Petersen 1994 Pontiac Moon Peter Medak 1995 Congo Frank Marshall 1996 Striptease Andrew Bergman 1997 Out to Sea Martha Coolidge 1998 Out of SightSteven Soderbergh 2000 Erin Brockovich Passion of Mind Alain Berliner 2001 Sweet November Pat O'Connor 2002 Unfaithful Adrian Lyne 2004 Taking Lives D.J. Caruso 2006 Catch and Release Susannah Grant 2007 The Golden Compass Chris Weitz with Peter Honess and Kevin Tent 2010 Extraordinary Measures Tom Vaughan 2015 Fifty Shades of Grey Sam Taylor-Johnson with Debra Neil-Fisher and Lisa Gunning

Television YearTitleNotes 1972 A War of Children TV movie 1973 ITV Saturday Night Theatre Episode: "Catholics" 2000 Fail Safe TV movie

Awards and nominations InstitutionYearCategoryProject ResultAcademy Awards 1963Best Film Editing Lawrence of Arabia 1965 Becket 1981 The Elephant Man 1994 In the Line of Fire 1999 Out of Sight 2017Academy Honorary Award British Academy Film Awards 1975 Best Editing Murder on the Orient Express 1981 The Elephant Man 1994 In the Line of Fire 2001 Erin Brockovich 2007BAFTA Fellowship American Cinema Editors 1963 Best Edited Feature Film Lawrence of Arabia 1965 Becket 1994 In the Line of Fire 1995 Career Achievement Award 1998 Best Edited Feature Film Out of Sight Los Angeles Film Critics Association2015Career Achievement Award Online Film Critics Society1999Best Film EditingOut of Sight Women in Film Crystal Award1997International Award

Best-of lists In 2012, the Motion Picture Editors Guild ranked Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Out of Sight (1998) among the best-edited films of all time.

References

External links

Anne V. Coates credits – AMCTV.com Biography Anne Coates interviewed by Walter Murch in 2000 Anne V. Coates – Filmography New York Times Anne V. Coates on Women Film Editors