# Richard Chew

Richard Franklin Chew (born June 28, 1940) is an American film editor, best known for his Academy Award-winning work on Star Wars (1977), alongside Paul Hirsch and Marcia Lucas. Other notable films include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Risky Business (1983), Waiting to Exhale (1995), That Thing You Do! (1996), and I Am Sam (2001). His career over a variety of films spans more than four decades.

## Early life and career

Born of Chinese immigrant parents in Los Angeles, Chew attended its inner-city schools, served in the U.S. Navy, and graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Philosophy. After a stint at Harvard Law School, Chew, inspired by the independent cinema of the 1960s, left school to pursue a film career.
Starting with camera and editing work on documentaries, such as The Redwoods, an Oscar winner for Best Short Documentary in 1967, he eventually transitioned to editing feature films as co-editor on Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, Miloš Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and George Lucas's Star Wars.
During his varied career, he has edited films for actor-directors such as Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks, and Forest Whitaker. Other writer-directors with whom Chew has worked include: Cameron Crowe, Paul Brickman, Bruce Joel Rubin, and Emilio Estevez.
Chew was Oscar-nominated for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. He also won British Oscars (BAFTA) as co-editor on both The Conversation and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. His work on Shanghai Noon was nominated for Best Feature Comedy by American Cinema Editors.
At various times throughout his editing career, Chew has taught and lectured with the goal of enhancing audience appreciation for the cinema arts. For over thirty years, he has appeared at art schools and colleges, churches, and community groups.
On January 27, 2011, he was honored at the Detroit Institute of Arts with “An Evening with Richard Chew,” a program featuring clips of some of his extensive work plus an interview conducted by DIA film curator Elliot Wilhelm. Additionally, Chew was named Allessee Visiting Professor of Media at Wayne State University for the 2011 Spring semester. In September 2013, Chew was selected as a Duncan Littlefair Great Speaker in the Creation Talks Series (http://www.creationtalks.org/about-us/duncan-littlefair-great-speakers/), joining the ranks of renowned speakers from the worlds of politics and arts. He spoke about the power of music in film at the legendary Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. . In November, 2016, Chew received the Third Annual Andrew V. McLaglen Lifetime Achievement Award from Friday Harbor Film Festival (Washington).
For his body of work, American Cinema Editors, an honorary society of film editors, presented to Chew the ACE Career Achievement Award during its annual Eddies Award show in March, 2022. In closing his acceptance speech, Chew said, “I’m thinking maybe we (filmmakers) could make movies to entertain and send a message. Maybe we could use movies to encourage the better angels of our nature.”
He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Motion Picture Editors Guild, and American Cinema Editors.

## Selected filmography

Editor :
| Year | Film | Director | Notes |
| 1974 | The Conversation | Francis Ford Coppola | |
| 1977 | Star Wars | George Lucas | |
| 1978 | Goin' South | Jack Nicholson | |
| 1979 | When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? | Milton Katselas | |
| 1982 | My Favorite Year | Richard Benjamin | |
| 1983 | Risky Business | Paul Brickman | First collaboration with Paul Brickman |
| 1985 | Real Genius | Martha Coolidge | First collaboration with Martha Coolidge |
| 1985 | Creator | Ivan Passer | |
| 1986 | Where the River Runs Black | Christopher Cain | |
| 1986 | Streets of Gold | Joe Roth | First collaboration with Joe Roth |
| 1987 | Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Joe Roth | Second collaboration with Joe Roth |
| 1988 | Clean and Sober | Glenn Gordon Caron | |
| 1990 | Men Don't Leave | Paul Brickman | Second collaboration with Paul Brickman |
| 1991 | Late for Dinner | W. D. Richter | |
| 1992 | Singles | Cameron Crowe | |
| 1993 | Mi Vida Loca | Allison Anders | |
| 1993 | My Life | Bruce Joel Rubin | |
| 1995 | Tall Tale | Jeremiah S. Chechik | |
| 1995 | Waiting to Exhale | Forest Whitaker | First collaboration with Forest Whitaker |
| 1996 | That Thing You Do! | Tom Hanks | |
| 1998 | Hope Floats | Forest Whitaker | Second collaboration with Forest Whitaker |
| 2000 | Shanghai Noon | Tom Dey | |
| 2001 | I Am Sam | Jessie Nelson | |
| 2004 | First Daughter | Forest Whitaker | Third collaboration with Forest Whitaker |
| 2005 | The New World | Terrence Malick | |
| 2006 | Bobby | Emilio Estevez | First collaboration with Emilio Estevez |
| 2010 | The Runaways | Floria Sigismondi | |
| 2010 | Louis | Daniel Pritzker | |
| 2010 | The Way | Emilio Estevez | Second collaboration with Emilio Estevez |
| 2018 | The Public | Emilio Estevez | Third collaboration with Emilio Estevez |
| 2019 | I'll Find You | Martha Coolidge | Second collaboration with Martha Coolidge |
Editorial department :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 1975 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Miloš Forman | Supervising film editor |
| 2003 | Shanghai Knights | David Dobkin | Additional editor |
| 2013 | Sugar | Rotimi Rainwater | Consulting editor |
Additional crew :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 1992 | Singles | Cameron Crowe | Title supervisor |
Producer :
| Year | Film | Director | Credit |
| 1987 | Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Joe Roth | Associate producer |
| 1992 | Singles | Cameron Crowe | Co-producer |
Second unit director or assistant director :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 1992 | Singles | Cameron Crowe | Second unit director |
Sound department :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 1975 | Smile | Michael Ritchie | Sound editor |
Thanks :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 2001 | Monkeybone | Henry Selick | The producers wish to thank |
| 2009 | The Red Machine | Stephanie ArgyAlec Boehm | Special thanks |

### Documentaries

Editor :
| Year | Film | Director |
| 1967 | The Redwoods | Trevor Greenwood |
| 1968 | Have You Heard of the San Francisco Mime Troupe? | Don LenzerFred Wardenburg |
| 1969 | The Medium Is the Massage, You Know | Trevor Greenwood |
| 1970 | Imogen Cunningham, Photographer | John Korty |
Camera and electrical department :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 1970 | Woodstock | Michael Wadleigh | Additional photographer |
| 1974 | Janis | Howard Alk | Additional photography |
Cinematographer :
| Year | Film | Director |
| 1967 | The Redwoods | Trevor Greenwood |
| 1969 | The Medium Is the Massage, You Know | Trevor Greenwood |

### Shorts

Editorial department :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 2012 | Lil Tokyo Reporter | Jeffrey Gee Chin | Editing consultant |
Thanks :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 2011 | Pass the Salt, Please | Tatjana Najdanovic | Very special thanks |

### TV movies

Editorial department :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 1972 | The People | John Korty | Associate film editor |
Thanks :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 1984 | The Ratings Game | Danny DeVito | Special thanks |

### TV series

Editorial department :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | American Playhouse | Editorial consultant | 1 episode |

### TV shorts

Editor :
| Year | Film | Director |
| 1974 | The Music School | John Korty |
| 1976 | The Other Side of Victory | Bill Jersey |

### TV specials

Thanks :
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
| 1976 | TVTV Looks at the Academy Awards | Wendy Apple | Thanks |

## Awards
### Film

Awards :
| Year | Film | Role |
| 1975 | The Conversation | BAFTA Film Award - Best Film Editing |
| 1976 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | BAFTA Film Award - Best Film Editing Nominated - Academy Award for Best Film Editing Nominated - Eddie Award for Best Edited Feature Film |
| 1978 | Star Wars | Academy Award for Best Film Editing Saturn Award for Outstanding Editing Nominated - BAFTA Film Award for Best Film Editing Nominated - Eddie Award for Best Edited Feature Film |
| 2001 | Shanghai Noon | Nominated - Eddie Award for Best Edited Feature Film - Comedy or Musical |

### Shorts

Awards :
| Year | Film | Role |
| 1968 | The Redwoods | Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) |