Renowned editor Edgar Burcksen, known for his exceptional work on features, documentaries, and TV series, passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 76 due to complications from a heart attack. Throughout his illustrious career, Burcksen garnered numerous accolades, including an Emmy for his editing of the pilot episode of 'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles' and an ACE Robert Wise award. He was also recognized with the prestigious Golden Calf at the Nederlands Film Festival.
Originally from Holland, Burcksen kickstarted his editing career in Amsterdam, working on various feature films. Upon relocating to the United States, he contributed his editing talents to the animated series 'Seabert.' Subsequently, he joined Industrial Light and Magic, where he served as the effects editor on blockbuster films such as 'Die Hard 2' and 'The Hunt for Red October.'
Notably, George Lucas personally selected Burcksen to provide consultation on the EditDroid, a precursor to the Avid editing system. His diverse portfolio includes editing credits on Jeroen Krabbe's acclaimed feature 'Left Luggage,' which competed for the Golden Bear, as well as documentaries like the Oscar-nominated 'Colors Straight Up,' 'Darfur Now,' 'Hollywood Banker,' and Kevin Costner's '500 Nations.'
His final editing project was Ate de Jong's upcoming feature 'Heart Strings,' co-written by Variety executive VP of content Steve Gaydos. Burcksen was actively involved in the film editing community, having served as a board member of American Cinema Editors and as a writer and editor-in-chief of Cinema Editor Magazine. Additionally, he imparted his knowledge by teaching Advanced Film Editing at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Burcksen was an avid ultramarathon cyclist, having completed an impressive 25 double centuries. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jana, and their two children.
