Kelly Griffith Crawford

Background

Crawford was born on July 26, 1951, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Broderick Crawford and Katherine (Griffith) Crawford, who was also known as Kay Griffith. His father was a film actor who had moved permanently to Hollywood to work in motion pictures. Los Angeles was one of the principal centers of the American film industry, and the family's connection to that world formed the setting in which Crawford's later career developed.

Broderick Crawford's marriage to Kay Griffith took place in 1940 and ended in divorce in 1957, and the couple had two children. Crawford's early years therefore coincided with a period in which Hollywood studios were producing large numbers of feature films, and the motion picture industry was an established part of Southern California's economy.

Education

Crawford graduated from the high school in Coronado, California. Coronado High School was established in 1913, and it is the only high school in the Coronado Unified School District, a public system serving the community on the Coronado peninsula.

According to local history, the school's original building was later rebuilt in 1939 under federal public works programs, and the campus has been renovated and expanded in later decades. These changes reflect the institution's continuing role in local public education during the years Crawford attended it.

Career

Crawford's documented professional life began in photography. He worked as a photographer for the Save Our Heritage Organisation in San Diego in 1976, and from 1977 to 1978 he held a photography position with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association, an organization supporting one of California's principal orchestras.

His career in film and television editing began in 1981 as an assistant editor for Warner Brothers Television in Hollywood. He returned to Warner Brothers as an assistant editor from 1984 to 1986, a period when he also worked as an assistant editor for Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, one of the oldest major film studios in the United States, from 1985 to 1986. In 1986 and 1987 he worked as an assistant editor for Tomorrow Entertainment, a Hollywood television production company.

In 1987, Crawford was credited as an editor for New Star Pictures in Hollywood, and in 1987 and 1988 he worked as an editor for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer television in Culver City, California, where the studio's television operations were based. During 1988 he worked as an assistant editor for the Tisch Company in Hollywood, and from 1988 to 1989 he held the same role at Stephen J. Cannell Productions, a Hollywood television producer known for its series work. In 1990 he was an assistant editor for Castle Rock Pictures in Hollywood. The Castle Rock name is associated with Castle Rock Entertainment, a film and television company founded in 1987 by Rob Reiner and others.

From 1991 Crawford worked as an optical effects editor at Bakshi Studios in Hollywood. Ralph Bakshi had moved his animation studio to Los Angeles in 1971 and was known for independent, adult-oriented animated features. Crawford's credits from this period include Cool World (1992), Bakshi's live-action and animated feature, on which he was credited as visual effects editor.

From 1998 onward Crawford worked on a series of studio features as an editor, including Psycho, Bowfinger, Dudley Do-Right, Anna and the King, and The Score. In 2001 and 2002 he was credited on visual effects productions associated with Illusion Arts, including The Fast and the Furious and The Time Machine.

Works

• feature film

  • Josie and the Pussycats

    (Credited as editor on this feature film, with visual effe...)

    2001

  • The Fast and the Furious

    (Credited as editor on this feature film, with Illusion Ar...)

    2001

  • The Unholy

    (Credited for additional editing in post-production on thi...)

    1988

  • Cool World

    (Credited as visual effects editor on this Ralph Bakshi fe...)

    1992

  • The Time Machine

    (Credited as visual effects editor on this feature film.)

    2002

  • Sibling Rivalry

    (Credited as assistant editor on this feature film.)

    1990

  • The Reluctant Agent

    (Credited as assistant editor on this feature film.)

    1989

  • Police Academy 3: Back in Training

    (Credited as assistant editor on this feature film.)

    1986

  • Summer Rental

    (Credited as assistant editor on this feature film.)

    1985

  • From Hell

    (Credited as editor on this feature film.)

    2001

  • The Score

    (Credited as editor on this feature film.)

    2001

  • The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle

    (Credited as editor on this feature film.)

    2000

  • Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

    (Credited as editor on this feature film.)

    2000

  • Anna and the King

    (Credited as editor on this feature film.)

    1999

  • Ride with the Devil

    (Credited as editor on this feature film.)

    1999

  • Bowfinger

    (Credited as editor on this feature film.)

    1999

  • Dudley Do-Right

    (Credited as editor on this feature film.)

    1999

  • Psycho

    (Credited as editor on this feature film.)

    1998

  • Six Days, Seven Nights

    (Credited as editor on this feature film.)

    1998

• TV movie

  • The King of Love

    (Credited as editor on this television film.)

    1987

Religion

Crawford was a Roman Catholic. Roman Catholicism is the largest Christian church, a communion led by the Pope in Rome that traces its teaching to Jesus Christ and the apostolic tradition. Its sacramental life, including the Eucharist, is central to the faith of its members, and its moral teaching emphasizes both personal conscience and the community of the Church.

In the United States, Catholic parishes and dioceses formed a large part of the national religious landscape during the twentieth century, providing worship, education, and social services in communities across the country. Crawford's affiliation placed him within this international institution while he lived and worked in Southern California.

Politics

Crawford's documented political affiliation was with the Republican Party. The party was founded in 1854 in the years leading to the American Civil War and traces its origins to opposition to the expansion of slavery into the western territories.

During the decades when Crawford worked in Hollywood, the Republican Party encompassed conservative and moderate currents. Its principles emphasized individual liberty, private enterprise, limited government, and a strong national defense, and these themes shaped its positions in national debates throughout the period.

Membership

Crawford was a member of the Motion Picture and Videotape Editors Guild, the labor organization that represents film and television editors and post-production professionals. The guild, known today as the Motion Picture Editors Guild, is Local 700 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), a national labor union that negotiates wages, benefits, and working conditions for its members. Its jurisdiction covers the editing and post-production crafts that Crawford practiced during his career.

• Motion Picture and Videotape Editors Guild , United States

Interests

• Documented avocations include photography, sailing, and chamber music.

Connections

Crawford's father, Broderick Crawford, was a film actor. His parents' marriage ended in divorce in 1957, and Crawford's mother, Katherine (Griffith) Crawford, is documented as Kay Griffith.

Crawford married Marilyn Lou Williams on June 28, 1980, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1986. He married Jeanne Lynn Cunningham on January 10, 1988.

Father:

Broderick Crawford

Film actor who moved to Hollywood to work in motion pictures. He and Kay Griffith had two children, including Kelly.

Mother:

Katherine Crawford

Her maiden name was Griffith, and she was also known as Kay Griffith. She married Broderick Crawford in 1940, and they divorced in 1957.

Spouse:

Marilyn Lou Williams

Married June 28, 1980; divorced in 1986.

Spouse:

Jeanne Lynn Cunningham

Married January 10, 1988.

References

• IMDb Online database entry providing Crawford's birth and death dates and places, along with a filmography of his editing and visual effects credits.
• Turner Classic Movies Database Filmography entry listing Crawford's feature film editing, assistant editing, and visual effects editing credits.