Dennis Virkler, a two-time Oscar-nominated editor who has worked on outstanding action films such as The Hunt for Red October, Concealment and many entries in the Batman series, are dead. He was 80 years old.
Virkler passed away of heart failure on September 15, his wife Helen Pollak announced. Among the tributes shared was director Andrew Davis, who worked with Virkler on five films, including Inclosed (1992), Concealment (1993), A perfect murder (1998) and Damage to collateral (2002 year).
“Dennis came in on a Saturday morning and blew us away on Monday with a great cut for the grand opening. Concealment,” Davis said in a statement. “Besides the editorial team he mentored, the sound and visual effects team worked alongside Dennis respecting his interests and knowledge.”
Virkler, who has more than 40 credits, was an elected member of the Motion Picture Editorial Board of America. Concealmentwhich earned him Oscar, BAFTA and ACE Eddie nominations, was named the 39th best edited film in history according to a 2012 survey from the Association of Motion Picture Editors.
Born in Cleveland on November 23, 1941, his family moved to Santa Monica when he was 4. Virkler later became a teammate and would drive sailors to the studio before eventually enrolling in the show. Apprenticeship of the Editors’ Association.
He began acting in genre films in the 1970s before going on to edit titles including Bad news Bear arrives in Japan (1978), Xanadu (1980), Airplane II: Sequel (1982) and River rat (1984), which starred Tommy Lee Jones, who later won an Academy Award for Concealment.
Virkler’s first Academy Award nomination was one of three for filmmaker John McTiernan’s adaptation of Tom Clancy. The Hunt for Red October Starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin.
Editor is also known for her work in the superhero genre, with the above credits Batman forever (1995), Batman and Robin (1997) and the film Ben Affleck Daredevil (2003).
Other more recent jobs include Vin Diesel cars The Riddick Chronicles (2004), directed by Rob Zombie Halloween (2007), thriller Nicolas Cage Bangkok is a dangerous capital (2008) and the monster project Benicio del Toro-Anthony Hopkins Werewolves (2010). Virkler’s career spans 5 decades, with his last credit coming in 2017 with Ottoman lieutenantwhich includes Josh Hartnett and Ben Kingsley among its cast.
Virkler was survived by Pollak, his partner for 39 years; son Wilson Virkler; and a sister and brother.
