George Bowers (filmmaker)

This article is about the film director and editor. For the politician, see George M. Bowers.

George Bowers
Born(1944-04-20)April 20, 1944
Bronx, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 18, 2012(2012-08-18) (aged 68)[1]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film director, editor, producer
Years active1968–2012
SpouseIrene Brun (1969[2]–2012)

George Bowers (April 20, 1944 – August 18, 2012) was an American film director, editor and producer. He had nearly thirty credits as a feature-film editor in a career spanning nearly forty years.[1][2]

Bowers was born in the Bronx, New York. After graduating from high school, he began his editing career under the tutelage of Hugh Robertson, who is noted as one of the first African-Americans to gain membership in the Motion Picture Editors Guild. He started working as an assistant editor at ABC directly out of high school, and after military service he worked for Robertson's company Byro Productions.[2] His first feature-film credit as editor was for the television movie ...And Beautiful II (1970).[3]

As an editor, Bowers's feature-film credits span the years from 1970 to his last film in 2008. He worked extensively with directors Joseph Ruben and Penny Marshall, including A League of Their Own (Marshall–1992) and The Stepfather (Ruben–1987).[2] Bowers mentored younger editors including Sam Pollard, who has edited several of director Spike Lee's films.[4][5]

As a director, Bowers films include Private Resort (1985) with Johnny Depp and Rob Morrow, and My Tutor (1983) with Crispin Glover.

Bowers died from complications related to heart surgery on August 18, 2012, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California; he was 68 years old.[1] Bowers had been selected as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and of the American Cinema Editors.[2]

  1. ^ a b c "George Bowers, editor of Penny Marshall pics, dies". Variety. September 16, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnes, Mike (September 13, 2012). "George Bowers, Film Editor for Penny Marshall, Dies at 68". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference imdb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Obenson, Tambay A. (September 13, 2012). "African American Editor George Bowers Dies At 68 ('Harlem Nights,' 'A League Of Their Own,' More…)". IndieWire.
  5. ^ Lewis, Tracie (March 20, 2009). "The Avid Excellence in Editing Award: Sam Pollard". Documentary Magazine. International Documentary Association. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015.