Oscar-Winning WEST SIDE STORY Film Editor Thomas Stanford Dies at 93

Deadline reports that film editor Thomas Stanford, best known for his Academy Award-winning work on 1961's WEST SIDE STORY, passed away on Saturday, December 30th at the age of 93. In addition to WEST SIDE STORY, Stanford's works included The Yakuza, The Legend of the Lone Ranger, and Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1959 film Suddenly Last Summer. His television credits included Route 66, Burke's Law, Hec Ramsey, Mad BULL and Before and After.

WEST SIDE STORY, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, was an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. The film starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris.

The musical was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, including Best Picture and became the record holder for the most wins for a movie musical. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for the National Film Registry in 1997.

Watch a clip below: