Thomas Causey obit

Thomas Causey Dies: Oscar-Nominated ‘Dick Tracy’ Sound Mixer Who Worked On Four ‘Star Trek’ Films & TV’s ‘Dallas’ Was 76

 

He was not on the list.

Thomas Causey, a veteran sound mixer who earned Oscar nominations for Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy and worked on four Star Trek films, TV’s Dallas and dozens of other movies and series, died Sunday in Cathedral City, CA. He was 76.

His daughter-in-law Crystal Causey confirmed the news to Deadline.

Born on December 5, 1949, in New Orleans, Causey’s career in sound spanned more than 40 years, working with such top-name directors as Francis Ford Coppola (Gardens of Stone), Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich), Garry Marshall , Terry Gilliam (The Fisher King), John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon 3), Albert Brooks (Defending Your Life) and James L. Brooks (Broadcast News). He also worked on nine films starring and/or produced by Adam Sandler.

Sometimes credited as Tom Causey, he already had a handful of sound-department credits when he served as a sound mixer on Carpenter’s landmark 1978 horror pic Halloween, starring Jamie Lee Curtis. That year he also worked as a production mixer on several episodes of CBS’ Dallas and NBC’s Police Story.

By the early 1980s, he would focus mainly on feature films, working as a sound mixer on such popular films that decade as Escape from New York, Halloween II, Big Trouble in Little China and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

He was part of the team that shared Best Sound Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Dick Tracy, the comic strip-based 1990 pic with a colorful look and cast that included Beatty, Madonna and Al Pacino. The following year, Causey earned a Primetime Emmy nom alongside three other member of the sound team for the NBC telefilm Fire on the Mountain, starring Buddy Ebsen and Ron Howard.

Causey then worked steadily throughout the 1990s and 2000s on movies including The Rocketeer, the Hot Shots! films, Hoffa, Escape from L.A., The General’s Daughter, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves! and The Other Sister. He was a sound mixer on 1994’s Star Trek: Generations, starting a four-film Trek run with the Next Generation cast through 2002 that included Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis.

As the millennium turned, Causey served as production sound mixer on Soderbergh’s Best Picture Oscar-nominated Erin Brockovich, for which Julia Roberts would win her lone Oscar. Other 2000s credits included Big Momma’s House, Jurassic Park III, Raising Helen and Georgia Rule. Causey’s final credit was as sound mixer on Adam Shankman’s 2008’s Bedtime Stories — one of nine films he worked on starring and/or produced by Sandler including Anger Management, Spanglish, The Longest Yard, The Benchwarmers, Click, Reign Over Me, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.

Along with his daughter-in-law, Causey is survived by his wife, Christina; son Jesse; brother Matthew; sister-in-law D.G.; stepsons Tyler, Kyle and Paul; and granddaughter Coraline. He was married to Maggie Reavis Causey from 1973-93 and to Katherine Sullivan from 1997-2002.

Sound Department

Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Jonathan Morgan Heit, and Laura Ann Kesling in Bedtime Stories (2008)

Bedtime Stories

6.0

sound mixer

2008

 

Adam Sandler in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

5.6

sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

2008

 

Adam Sandler and Kevin James in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

5.9

sound mixer

2007

 

Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman, and Lindsay Lohan in Georgia Rule (2007)

Georgia Rule

5.9

sound mixer

2007

 

Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me (2007)

Reign Over Me

7.4

sound mixer

2007

 

Adam Sandler in Click (2006)

Click

6.4

production mixer

2006

 

Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Jon Heder in The Benchwarmers (2006)

The Benchwarmers

5.6

sound mixer

2006

 

Burt Reynolds, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Bill Goldberg, Terry Crews, Nelly, Lobo Sebastian, Nicholas Turturro, Bob Sapp, Michael Irvin, and Dalip Singh in The Longest Yard (2005)

The Longest Yard

6.4

production sound mixer

2005

 

Téa Leoni and Adam Sandler in Spanglish (2004)

Spanglish

6.4

sound mixer

2004

 

Raising Helen (2004)

Raising Helen

6.0

production sound mixer

2004

 

Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler in Anger Management (2003)

Anger Management

6.3

sound mixer

2003

 

Brent Spiner, Patrick Stewart, and Tom Hardy in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Star Trek: Nemesis

6.4

sound mixer

2002

 

Murder by Numbers (2002)

Murder by Numbers

6.2

sound mixer

2002

 

Jurassic Park III (2001)

Jurassic Park III

6.0

production sound mixer

2001

 

Big Momma's House (2000)

Big Momma's House

5.3

production sound mixer

2000

 

Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich (2000)

Erin Brockovich

7.5

production sound mixer

2000

 

John Travolta in The General's Daughter (1999)

The General's Daughter

6.4

sound mixer

1999

 

Juliette Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi in The Other Sister (1999)

The Other Sister

6.5

production sound

1999

 

F. Murray Abraham in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Star Trek: Insurrection

6.4

sound mixer

1998

 

Letters from a Killer (1998)

Letters from a Killer

5.4

sound mixer

1998

 

Warren Beatty in Bulworth (1998)

Bulworth

6.8

sound mixer

1998

 

Robin Bartlett, Rick Moranis, Eve Gordon, and Stuart Pankin in Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves! (1997)

Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves!

5.0

Video

production sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1997

 

Alice Krige, Brent Spiner, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Star Trek: First Contact

7.6

sound mixer

1996

 

Kurt Russell in Escape from L.A. (1996)

Escape from L.A.

5.7

sound

1996

 

Bill Murray and Tai in Larger Than Life (1996)

Larger Than Life

5.7

production sound recordist (as Tommy Causey)

1996

 

Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright, Anjelica Huston, Piper Laurie, and Priscilla Barnes in The Crossing Guard (1995)

The Crossing Guard

6.3

sound mixer

1995

 

Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington in Virtuosity (1995)

Virtuosity

5.5

sound mixer (as Thomas D. Causey)

1995

 

Village of the Damned (1995)

Village of the Damned

5.7

sound mixer

1995

 

William Shatner and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Star Trek: Generations

6.6

sound mixer

1994

 

Tommy Lee Jones and Jeff Bridges in Blown Away (1994)

Blown Away

6.2

production sound mixer

1994

 

Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)

When a Man Loves a Woman

6.6

sound mixer (as Thomas D. Causey)

1994

 

Erika Eleniak, Dabney Coleman, Cloris Leachman, Jim Varney, Lily Tomlin, and Diedrich Bader in The Beverly Hillbillies (1993)

The Beverly Hillbillies

5.1

sound mixer

1993

 

Charlie Sheen in Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)

Hot Shots! Part Deux

6.6

production sound mixer

1993

 

Born Yesterday (1993)

Born Yesterday

5.2

production sound mixer

1993

 

Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito in Hoffa (1992)

Hoffa

6.6

sound mixer (as Thomas D. Causey)

1992

 

Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Joe Pesci in Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

Lethal Weapon 3

6.7

sound mixer

1992

 

Sylvester Stallone and Estelle Getty in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot

4.4

production sound mixer

1992

 

Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges in The Fisher King (1991)

The Fisher King

7.5

sound mixer

1991

 

Charlie Sheen in Hot Shots! (1991)

Hot Shots!

6.7

sound mixer

1991

 

Billy Campbell in The Rocketeer (1991)

The Rocketeer

6.6

production sound mixer

1991

 

Meryl Streep and Albert Brooks in Defending Your Life (1991)

Defending Your Life

7.2

production sound mixer

1991

 

Warren Beatty in Dick Tracy (1990)

Dick Tracy

6.2

sound mixer

1990

 

The Guardian (1990)

The Guardian

5.4

sound mixer

1990

 

Jami Gertz, Amanda Peterson, Roy Scheider, Kirk Cameron, and Tim Quill in Listen to Me (1989)

Listen to Me

5.3

sound recordist (as Tom Causey)

1989

 

Leslie Nielsen, George Kennedy, Ricardo Montalban, Priscilla Presley, O.J. Simpson, Jeannette Charles, Reggie Jackson, and Nancy Marchand in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

7.6

sound mixer (as Thomas D. Causey)

1988

 

Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin in Big Business (1988)

Big Business

6.4

sound mixer

1988

 

Holly Hunter, William Hurt, and Albert Brooks in Broadcast News (1987)

Broadcast News

7.3

sound mixer

1987

 

Richard Dreyfuss and Barbra Streisand in Nuts (1987)

Nuts

6.7

production sound mixer

1987

 

Prince of Darkness (1987)

Prince of Darkness

6.7

production sound mixer

1987

 

Mary Stuart Masterson and D.B. Sweeney in Gardens of Stone (1987)

Gardens of Stone

6.3

sound mixer

1987

 

A Smoky Mountain Christmas (1986)

A Smoky Mountain Christmas

6.9

TV Movie

sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1986

 

Kim Cattrall, Kurt Russell, and James Hong in Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Big Trouble in Little China

7.2

sound mixer

1986

 

Ruthless People (1986)

Ruthless People

6.9

sound mixer

1986

 

The Defiant Ones (1986)

The Defiant Ones

6.1

TV Movie

sound mixer

1986

 

Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Lesley Ann Warren, Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan, Michael McKean, and Martin Mull in Clue (1985)

Clue

7.3

sound mixer (as Thomas D. Causey)

1985

 

C. Thomas Howell in Secret Admirer (1985)

Secret Admirer

6.5

production sound mixer (as Tom Causey)

1985

 

Michael Beck in Chiller (1985)

Chiller

4.5

TV Movie

sound mixer (as Tom Causey)

1985

 

Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino in Gotcha! (1985)

Gotcha!

6.2

sound mixer

1985

 

Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges in Starman (1984)

Starman

7.0

sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1984

 

JoBeth Williams and Tom Conti in American Dreamer (1984)

American Dreamer

6.6

sound mixer

1984

 

Cloak & Dagger (1984)

Cloak & Dagger

6.6

production sound mixer (as Tom Causey)

1984

 

Stella Stevens and Tamara Dobson in Amazons (1984)

Amazons

4.4

TV Movie

sound (as Tommy Causey)

1984

 

Christine (1983)

Christine

6.8

sound mixer

1983

 

Brian Keith and Daniel Hugh Kelly in Hardcastle and McCormick (1983)

Hardcastle and McCormick

6.6

TV Series

sound mixer

1983

2 episodes

 

Lottery! (1983)

Lottery!

6.9

TV Series

sound mixer

1983

1 episode

 

Get Crazy (1983)

Get Crazy

6.5

sound mixer

1983

 

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Twilight Zone: The Movie

6.5

production sound mixer (as Tommy Causey, Segment 2, 3 & 4)

1983

 

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

5.2

production sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1982

 

Rosanna Arquette, Dennis Quaid, and Richard Thomas in Johnny Belinda (1982)

Johnny Belinda

6.5

TV Movie

sound mixer

1982

 

The Thing (1982)

The Thing

8.2

production sound

1982

 

Falcon Crest (1981)

Falcon Crest

6.2

TV Series

production sound mixer

1981

1 episode

 

Ron Howard and Buddy Ebsen in Fire on the Mountain (1981)

Fire on the Mountain

6.4

TV Movie

sound mixer

1981

 

Halloween II (1981)

Halloween II

6.5

sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1981

 

Adrienne Barbeau, Donald Pleasence, and Kurt Russell in Escape from New York (1981)

Escape from New York

7.1

sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1981

 

John Putch in Angel Dusted (1981)

Angel Dusted

6.4

TV Movie

sound mixer

1981

 

A Whale for the Killing (1981)

A Whale for the Killing

6.4

TV Movie

production sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1981

 

Bruce Boxleitner, Sam Elliott, Pat Hingle, Ben Johnson, Cameron Mitchell, Penny Peyser, and Timothy Scott in Wild Times (1980)

Wild Times

6.6

TV Mini Series

sound mixer (as Tom Causey)

1980

2 episodes

 

Salvage 1 (1979)

Salvage 1

7.4

TV Series

sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1979

1 episode

 

Robert Forster, David Birney, and Richard E. Kalk in Police Story (1973)

Police Story

7.5

TV Series

production mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1978–1979

4 episodes

 

Victoria Principal, Barbara Bel Geddes, Patrick Duffy, Larry Hagman, Charlene Tilton, Jim Davis, Linda Gray, and Steve Kanaly in Dallas (1978)

Dallas

7.1

TV Series

production sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1978–1979

17 episodes

 

Halloween (1978)

Halloween

7.7

sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1978

 

The Making of 'Beatlemania' (1978)

The Making of 'Beatlemania'

TV Movie

sound (as Tommy Causey)

1978

 

No Margin for Error (1978)

No Margin for Error

7.7

TV Movie

production mixer

1978

 

Return to Boggy Creek (1977)

Return to Boggy Creek

2.9

sound (as Tommy Causey)

1977

 

Carol Bagdasarian, John David Carson, Herb Edelman, Arte Johnson, and Louis Nye in Charge of the Model T's (1977)

Charge of the Model T's

5.3

sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)

1977

 

Jack Elam in Creature from Black Lake (1976)

Creature from Black Lake

5.1

sound

1976

 

Fear Is the Key (1972)

Fear Is the Key

6.3

sound maintenance (uncredited)

1972

 

The Night of the Strangler (1972)

The Night of the Strangler

4.8

sound mixer (as Tom Causey)

1972

 

Camera and Electrical Department

Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald in The Good Fight (2017)

The Good Fight

8.3

TV Series

grip (as Tom Causey)

2021

1 episode

 

Transportation Department

Fear Is the Key (1972)

Fear Is the Key

6.3

driver (uncredited)

1972