Eric Zumbrunnen obit

Eric Zumbrunnen Dies: Spike Jonze’s Go-To Film Editor Was 52

 

He was not on the list.

Eric Zumbrunnen, an ACE Award-winning film editor who worked on several Spike Jonze films including Being John Malkovich and Best Picture Oscar nominee Her, has died. He was 52. His publicist Jason Kasperski told Deadline that Zumbrunnen died August 1 of cancer.

Zumbrunnen began his career editing music videos and documentaries, including Iron Maiden: Donington Live 1992 and The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow. In the mid-1990s, he edited the videos for such modern rock hit songs as the Breeders’ “Cannonball,” Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight,” and Beck’s “Where It’s At,” landing MTV Video Music Award noms for the latter two. He won the Best Editing VMA for Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” in 1995 and Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” in 2001.

Zumbrunnen’s first feature was Being John Malkovich (1999), the Jonze-directed and Charlie Kaufman-penned pic that earned three Oscar nominations including mentions for Jonze and Kaufman. The film earned Zumbrunnen an ACE Award from the American Cinema Editors and a BAFTA Film Award nomination.

Known to many as “EZ,” he continued editing music videos for the like of Bjork and Tesla, then scored another ACE nom for his next film, Jonze’s Adaptation (2002). That Jonze pic, also scripted by — and about — Kaufman, featured Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton and Chris Cooper, who won an Oscar for his supporting role. Zumbrunnen also was the editor on Jonze’s next film, 2009’s Where the Wild Things Are.

His first non-Jonze feature was the infamous John Carter in 2012, but Zumbrunnen followed that by editing Her, Jonze’s typically quirky 2013 pic that earned five Oscar noms, including Best Picture, and earned Jonze his only Oscar, for his original screenplay about a writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls for the Siri-esque operating system designed to cater to his every whim.

Zumbrunnen recently was awarded a Bronze Lion for Editing at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for his work on Jonze’s Kenzo World fragrance ad, “My Mutant Brain.” He was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year based on his body of work.

 

Editor

Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, and Jonathan Groff in Mindhunter (2017)

Mindhunter

8.6

TV Series

Editor

2017

1 episode

 

Margaret Qualley in Kenzo World (2016)

Kenzo World

8.1

Video

Editor

2016

 

Highston (2015)

Highston

7.7

TV Series

Editor

2015

1 episode

 

Joaquin Phoenix in Her (2013)

Her

7.9

Editor

2013

 

The Commissioning (2012)

The Commissioning

Video

Editor

2012

 

Samantha Morton, Lynn Collins, and Taylor Kitsch in John Carter (2012)

John Carter

6.6

Editor

2012

 

I'm Here (2010)

I'm Here

7.7

Short

Editor

2010

 

James Gandolfini and Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

Where the Wild Things Are

6.7

edited by

2009

 

The Life (2009)

The Life

8.1

Short

Editor

2009

 

Adidas: Nadia

Video

Editor

2005

 

Gap: Dust

Video

Editor

2005

 

Spike Jonze in Björk: Triumph of a Heart (2005)

Björk: Triumph of a Heart

7.7

Music Video

Editor

2005

 

Weezer: Video Capture Device - Treasures from the Vault 1991-2002 (2004)

Weezer: Video Capture Device - Treasures from the Vault 1991-2002

8.1

Video

video "Buddy Holly"

2004

 

Adidas: Impossible is Nothing - Laila

Video

Editor

2004

 

How They Get There (1997)

The Work of Director Spike Jonze

8.4

Video

Editor (segment "How They Get There")

2003

 

Nicolas Cage in Adaptation. (2002)

Adaptation.

7.6

Editor

2002

 

Christopher Walken in Fatboy Slim: Weapon of Choice (2001)

Fatboy Slim: Weapon of Choice

8.8

Music Video

Editor

2001

 

Tesla: Tripping the Light Electric

7.4

Short

Editor

2000

 

An Intimate Look Inside the Acting Process with Ice Cube (1999)

An Intimate Look Inside the Acting Process with Ice Cube

4.7

Video

Editor

1999

 

John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)

Being John Malkovich

7.7

Editor

1999

 

Björk: Volumen (1999)

Björk: Volumen

8.8

Video

video "It's Oh So Quiet"

1999

 

Lick the Star (1998)

Lick the Star

6.1

Short

Editor

1998

 

Sarah McLachlan: Adia (1998)

Sarah McLachlan: Adia

7.7

Music Video

Editor

1998

 

Monkey Drummer (2000)

Amarillo by Morning

6.5

Short

Editor

1998

 

How They Get There (1997)

How They Get There

7.1

Short

Editor

1997

 

Marla Sokoloff in The Date (1997)

The Date

8.2

Short

Editor

1997

 

The Dandy Warhols: Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth (1997)

The Dandy Warhols: Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth

7.4

Music Video

Editor

1997

 

Beck: Where It's At (1996)

Beck: Where It's At

7.1

Music Video

Editor

1996

 

Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky, and The Smashing Pumpkins in The Smashing Pumpkins: Tonight, Tonight (1996)

The Smashing Pumpkins: Tonight, Tonight

8.0

Music Video

Editor (uncredited)

1996

 

Björk: It's Oh So Quiet (1995)

Björk: It's Oh So Quiet

7.8

Music Video

Editor

1995

 

Wax: California (1995)

Wax: California

7.6

Music Video

Editor

1995

 

That Dog: Old Timer (1994)

That Dog: Old Timer

5.2

Music Video

Editor

1994

 

Weezer: Buddy Holly (1994)

Weezer: Buddy Holly

7.9

Music Video

Editor

1994

 

The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow (1993)

The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow

7.2

Video

Editor

1993

 

Iron Maiden: Donington Live 1992 (1993)

Iron Maiden: Donington Live 1992

8.5

Video

Editor

1993

 

The Breeders: Cannonball (1993)

The Breeders: Cannonball

6.9

Music Video

Editor

1993

 

Gift (1993)

Gift

7.4

Video

Editor

1993

 

Extreme in Extreme: More Than Words (1991)

Extreme: More Than Words

7.0

Music Video

Editor

1991

 

Captivated: The Video Collection '92 (1991)

Captivated: The Video Collection '92

6.6

Video

Editor

1991

 

Actor

Alien Beach Party Massacre (1996)

Alien Beach Party Massacre

4.9

Glue, Real Name: Elmer

1996

 

Soundtrack

John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich (1999)

Being John Malkovich

7.7

writer: "Summer"

1999

 

Thanks

Jimmy Kimmel in The Oscars (2018)

The Oscars

5.8

TV Special

in memoriam

2018

 

Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, and Jonathan Groff in Mindhunter (2017)

Mindhunter

8.6

TV Series

dedicated to our beloved friend and collaborator

2017

1 episode

 

Ye in We Were Once a Fairytale (2009)

We Were Once a Fairytale

6.8

Short

special thanks

2009

 

Susan Sarandon, Billy Bob Thornton, and Seann William Scott in Mr. Woodcock (2007)

Mr. Woodcock

5.2

special thanks

2007

 

Torrance Rises (1999)

Torrance Rises

6.9

Short

special thanks

1999

 

Self

Her: The Untitled Rick Howard Project (2014)

Her: The Untitled Rick Howard Project

7.3

Video

Self

2014

 

Collaborators

Short

Self

2009

 

HBO First Look (1992)

HBO First Look

6.3

TV Series

Self

2009

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Jimmy Kimmel in The Oscars (2018)

The Oscars

5.8

TV Special

Self - Editor (In Memoriam) (archive footage)

2018