Ernst R. Rolf (December 31, 1931 – July 14, 2014), better known as Tom Rolf, was a Swedish-born American film editor who worked on at least 48 feature films in a career spanning over fifty years. Most notable among these films are Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, for which he was nominated for the 1976 BAFTA Award for Best Editing, and Philip Kaufman's The Right Stuff, for which he and his editing team won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Film Editing. Other notable films he edited include WarGames, Jacob's Ladder, Heat and The Horse Whisperer.A member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE) since the mid-1950s, Rolf served two terms as president of that guild. He also served on the Board of Governors at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for five terms (15 years), representing the editing branch from 1992 through 2007. He received a career achievement award from ACE in 2003.
[in a 2010 interview with the Hollywood Reporter] My job is to help the director realize his vision...I think people hire me because they know that I'm going to put in a full day, I'm going to tell them the truth, and I'll voice my opinion when I think it's needed.
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Fact
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He was a ski patrolman and a seaman with the Norwegian Merchant Marine before emigrating to the United States.
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His step-father, Jack Donohue, a choreographer and director at MGM, advised him to start out in the cutting room, telling him, "You will learn everything about directing by being a film editor first.".
Former U.S. Marine, fought in the Korean Conflict.
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Former surfer.
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Car enthusiast, owning many foreign automobiles throughout the years. One car which he mentions often was his baby Mustang convertible, with a rare optional front bench seat.
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Member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Editors Branch) [-2007].
$8 Million
