Kevin O'Connell (sound mixer)

Kevin O'Connell is a sound re-recording mixer. He held the record for most Academy Award nominations without a win at 20, until he finally won his first Academy Award for Hacksaw Ridge (2016) at the 89th Academy Awards in 2017.

Kevin O'Connell
Born (1957-11-27) November 27, 1957
Long Island, New York
OccupationRe-recording mixer
Years active1980–present

Early life and career

O'Connell was born in Long Island, New York and raised in Los Angeles, California.[1] At 18, he became a projectionist at 20th Century Fox Studios, where his mother was a secretary for the head of the sound department.[2]

Subsequently, failing the trade union examination for the job, he became a Los Angeles County firefighter for a year. At the behest of his concerned mother, alarmed at his gaunt and charred appearance following a brush fire in Sylmar, Los Angeles, he obtained a job as a machine-room operator at Warner Hollywood Studios, also known as Samuel Goldwyn Studios in 1978,[3][4] where he worked on films including Grease (1978).[4] Becoming a recording technician, he earned his first screen credit on The Empire Strikes Back (1980). His first credit as a sound mixer was on Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982).[1]

Later career

In 1993, O'Connell joined Sony Pictures as a supervising sound mixer, working on films include Armageddon (1998), Spider-Man (2002), and Transformers (2007).[5] In October 2013, he was hired to provide mixing services and take a creative leadership role at Todd Soundelux, working in that company's Todd-AO division in Santa Monica, California.[6] O'Connell returned to Sony Pictures Post Production Services in 2015.[5]

He served a term as the representative of the Sound Branch in the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[6]

Academy Award victory

O'Connell held the record for most Academy Award nominations without a win at 20, having originally set the record in 2006 with his 18th nomination and loss,[7] making him the "unluckiest nominee in the history of the Academy Awards".[8] In 2017, he won his first Academy Award at the 89th Academy Awards for Hacksaw Ridge (2016).[7]

In his acceptance speech at the ceremony, held on February 26, 2017, O'Connell thanked his mother, Skippy, who had urged him into his profession.

Personal life

In 2001, Kevin and Heather O'Connell were married.[2]

Accolades

Academy Awards
Year Nominated Work Result Lost to
1983 Terms of Endearment Nominated The Right Stuff
1984 Dune Nominated Amadeus
1985 Silverado Nominated Out of Africa
1986 Top Gun Nominated Platoon
1989 Black Rain Nominated Glory
1990 Days of Thunder Nominated Dances with Wolves
1992 A Few Good Men Nominated The Last of the Mohicans
1995 Crimson Tide Nominated Apollo 13
1996 Twister Nominated The English Patient
The Rock
1997 Con Air Nominated Titanic
1998 The Mask of Zorro Nominated Saving Private Ryan
Armageddon
2000 The Patriot Nominated Gladiator
2001 Pearl Harbor Nominated Black Hawk Down
2002 Spider-Man Nominated Chicago
2004 Spider-Man 2 Nominated Ray
2005 Memoirs of a Geisha Nominated King Kong
2006 Apocalypto Nominated Dreamgirls
2007 Transformers Nominated The Bourne Ultimatum
2016 Hacksaw Ridge Won —

Primetime Emmy Award

In 1989, O'Connell, along with James L. Aicholtz, Michael Herbick and Don Johnson, won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie for the television miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989).[9]

Cinema Audio Society Award
Nominations
  1. Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures – Live Action – Hacksaw Ridge (2016) (shared with seven colleagues)[10]

See also

References
  1. Siemaszko, Corky (February 22, 2017). "Oscars 2017: Hollywood Sound Man Kevin O'Connell Hopes to End Record Drought". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  2. Brownfield, Paul (March 24, 2002). "Sound Advice From a 14-Time Loser". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Additional on February 27, 2016.
  3. Brownfield, Paul (March 24, 2002). "Sound Advice From a 14-Time Loser". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2017-02-27. Retrieved February 27, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Additional on February 27, 2016.
  4. Petit, Stephanie (February 26, 2017). "Sound Mixer Nominated for an Oscar 21 Times Finally Wins for Hacksaw Ridge". People. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  5. Frazer, Bryant (May 6, 2015). "Renowned Mixer Kevin O'Connell Back at Sony Pictures After Seven Years Away". StudioDaily.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Additional on February 27, 2017.
  6. "Veteran mixer Kevin O'Connell joins Todd-Soundelux". Post. October 8, 2013. Archived from the original on July 10, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  7. "Kevin O'Connell, Oscar's Biggest Loser, Finally Wins on 21st Try". Yahoo! Movies. February 26, 2017. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  8. "In praise of... Kevin O'Connell". London: (Op-ed) The Guardian. February 23, 2008. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
  9. "[Results: "Kevin O'Connell"]". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  10. "Cinema Audio Society Announces Nominations for the 53rd CAS Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for 2016". Cinema Audio Society. January 7, 2017. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
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