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A visual history · Oscars

The winners who defined Sound Editing.

41 ceremonies, 1964–2020. 37 different winners.

Who won most recently?
Donald Sylvester in 2020 for Ford v Ferrari.
Who has won the most?
Richard King, 3 wins (2004, 2009, 2011).
  1. Ford v FerrariDonald Sylvester
  2. Bohemian RhapsodyJohn Warhurst & Nina Hartstone
  3. DunkirkRichard King & Alex Gibson
  4. ArrivalSylvain Bellemare
  5. Mad Max: Fury RoadMark Mangini & David White
  6. American SniperAlan Robert Murray & Bub Asman
Years explored
1964–2020
Different winners
37
Category leader
Richard King · 3
About this record

Best Sound Editing was first awarded in 1964, so it does not run the full 1929–2025 window.

It was awarded for the last time in 2020.

It was called Best Sound Effects Editing at the 2000 ceremony. The 2013 award was a tie, and both winning teams are listed.

From 2021 the Oscars awarded Best Sound instead.

2000–2020

21 ceremonies

19642020

01 / The reigns

18 winners shaped this category.

The timeline turns the 2000–2020 record into a sequence of reigns. Longer bands reveal sustained runs; color shows the credited distributor.

  1. 01
    Richard King3 wins
  2. 02
    Alan Robert Murray & Bub Asman2 wins
  3. 03
    Paul N. J. Ottosson2 wins
One band per year, because no winner has gone back-to-back in the years on record. Colored by distributor; scroll sideways for the full run.
Dane A. Davis'00
Jon Johnson'01
George Watters II & Christopher Boyes'02
Ethan Van der Ryn & Mike Hopkins'03
Richard King'04
Randy Thom & Michael Silvers'05
Mike Hopkins & Ethan Van der Ryn'06
Alan Robert Murray & Bub Asman'07
Karen Baker Landers & Per Hallberg'08
Richard King'09
Paul N. J. Ottosson'10
Richard King'11
Philip Stockton & Eugene Gearty'12
Per Hallberg & Karen Baker Landers'13
Glenn Freemantle'14
Alan Robert Murray & Bub Asman'15
Mark Mangini & David White'16
Sylvain Bellemare'17
Richard King & Alex Gibson'18
John Warhurst & Nina Hartstone'19
Donald Sylvester'20

02 / The power map

Who stood behind the winners?

Warner Bros. leads the recorded distributor credits with 9 wins, 2000–2020. The full distribution shows whether power was concentrated or shared.

Warner Bros.9 wins
20th Century3 wins
Universal3 wins
Disney2 wins
Paramount2 wins
Sony1 win
Wins by distributor
  1. Warner Bros.943%
  2. 20th Century314%
  3. Universal314%
  4. Disney210%
  5. Paramount210%
  6. Sony15%
  7. Other15%

03 / The near misses

The names that kept coming back without the ending they wanted.

Counting nominations in this category only, 2000–2020.

Most nominated, never won this award

  1. 01
    Wylie Stateman
    6 noms
  2. 02
    Ai-Ling Lee & Mildred Iatrou Morgan
    2 noms
  3. 03
    Alan Robert Murray
    2 noms
  4. 04
    Christopher Boyes & George Watters II
    2 noms
  5. 05
    Ethan Van der Ryn & Erik Aadahl
    2 noms
  6. 06
    Gary Rydstrom & Michael Silvers
    2 noms

Most losses in this category

  1. 01
    Wylie Stateman
    6L · 0W
  2. 02
    Ai-Ling Lee & Mildred Iatrou Morgan
    2L · 0W
  3. 03
    Alan Robert Murray
    2L · 0W
  4. 04
    Alan Robert Murray & Bub Asman
    2L · 2W
  5. 05
    Christopher Boyes & George Watters II
    2L · 0W
  6. 06
    Ethan Van der Ryn & Erik Aadahl
    2L · 0W

04 / The archive

Every year.
Every winner.

The complete reference behind the story, showing 2000–2020. Open any year to see the rest of the field when nominee records are available.

YearWinnerDistributor
2020Donald Sylvester (Ford v Ferrari)
beat 4 others
  • Alan Robert Murray (Joker)
  • Oliver Tarney & Rachael Tate (1917)
  • Wylie Stateman (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
  • Matthew Wood & David Acord (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker)
20th Century Fox
2019John Warhurst & Nina Hartstone (Bohemian Rhapsody)
beat 4 others
  • Steve Boeddeker & Benjamin A. Burtt (Black Panther)
  • Ai-Ling Lee & Mildred Iatrou Morgan (First Man)
  • Ethan Van der Ryn & Erik Aadahl (A Quiet Place)
  • Skip Lievsay & Sergio Díaz (Roma)
20th Century Fox
2018Richard King & Alex Gibson (Dunkirk)
beat 4 others
  • Julian Slater (Baby Driver)
  • Mark Mangini & Theo Green (Blade Runner 2049)
  • Nathan Robitaille & Nelson Ferreira (The Shape of Water)
  • Ren Klyce & Matthew Wood (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
Warner Bros.
2017Sylvain Bellemare (Arrival)
beat 4 others
  • Wylie Stateman & Renée Tondelli (Deepwater Horizon)
  • Robert Mackenzie & Andy Wright (Hacksaw Ridge)
  • Ai-Ling Lee & Mildred Iatrou Morgan (La La Land)
  • Alan Robert Murray & Bub Asman (Sully)
Paramount Pictures
2016Mark Mangini & David White (Mad Max: Fury Road)
beat 4 others
  • Oliver Tarney (The Martian)
  • Lon Bender & Martin Hernández (The Revenant)
  • Alan Robert Murray (Sicario)
  • David Acord & Matthew Wood (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Warner Bros.
2015Alan Robert Murray & Bub Asman (American Sniper)
beat 4 others
  • Martin Hernández & Aaron Glascock (Birdman)
  • Brent Burge & Jason Canovas (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)
  • Richard King (Interstellar)
  • Becky Sullivan & Andrew DeCristofaro (Unbroken)
Warner Bros.
2014Glenn Freemantle (Gravity)
beat 4 others
  • Steve Boeddeker & Richard Hymns (All Is Lost)
  • Brent Burge & Chris Ward (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug)
  • Oliver Tarney (Captain Phillips)
  • Wylie Stateman (Lone Survivor)
Warner Bros.
2013Per Hallberg & Karen Baker Landers (Skyfall)tiePaul N. J. Ottosson (Zero Dark Thirty)unverified
beat 3 others
  • Erik Aadahl & Ethan Van der Ryn (Argo)
  • Wylie Stateman (Django Unchained)
  • Eugene Gearty & Philip Stockton (Life of Pi)
Columbia Pictures
2012Philip Stockton & Eugene Gearty (Hugo)
beat 4 others
  • Gary Rydstrom & Richard Hymns (War Horse)
  • Ren Klyce (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
  • Ethan Van der Ryn & Erik Aadahl (Transformers: Dark of the Moon)
  • Lon Bender & Victor Ray Ennis (Drive)
Paramount Pictures
2011Richard King (Inception)
beat 4 others
  • Tom Myers & Michael Silvers (Toy Story 3)
  • Gwendolyn Yates Whittle & Addison Teague (Tron: Legacy)
  • Skip Lievsay & Craig Berkey (True Grit)
  • Mark P. Stoeckinger (Unstoppable)
Warner Bros.
2010Paul N. J. Ottosson (The Hurt Locker)
beat 4 others
  • Christopher Boyes & Gwendolyn Yates Whittle (Avatar)
  • Tom Myers & Michael Silvers (Up)
  • Mark P. Stoeckinger & Alan Rankin (Star Trek)
  • Wylie Stateman (Inglourious Basterds)
Summit Entertainment
2009Richard King (The Dark Knight)
beat 4 others
  • Christopher Boyes & Frank E. Eulner (Iron Man)
  • Ben Burtt & Matthew Wood (WALL-E)
  • Glenn Freemantle & Tom Sayers (Slumdog Millionaire)
  • Wylie Stateman (Wanted)
Warner Bros.
2008Karen Baker Landers & Per Hallberg (The Bourne Ultimatum)
beat 4 others
  • Skip Lievsay (No Country for Old Men)
  • Randy Thom & Michael Silvers (Ratatouille)
  • Christopher Scarabosio & Matthew Wood (There Will Be Blood)
  • Ethan Van der Ryn & Mike Hopkins (Transformers)
Universal Pictures
2007Alan Robert Murray & Bub Asman (Letters from Iwo Jima)
beat 4 others
  • Sean McCormack & Kami Asgar (Apocalypto)
  • Lon Bender (Blood Diamond)
  • Alan Robert Murray & Bub Asman (Flags of Our Fathers)
  • Christopher Boyes & George Watters II (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest)
Warner Bros.
2006Mike Hopkins & Ethan Van der Ryn (King Kong)
beat 2 others
  • Richard King (War of the Worlds)
  • Wylie Stateman (Memoirs of a Geisha)
Universal Pictures
2005Randy Thom & Michael Silvers (The Incredibles)
beat 2 others
  • Randy Thom & Dennis Leonard (The Polar Express)
  • Paul N. J. Ottosson (Spider-Man 2)
Walt Disney Pictures
2004Richard King (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World)
beat 2 others
  • Gary Rydstrom & Michael Silvers (Finding Nemo)
  • Christopher Boyes & George Watters II (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)
20th Century Fox
2003Ethan Van der Ryn & Mike Hopkins (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)
beat 2 others
  • Gary Rydstrom & Richard Hymns (Minority Report)
  • Scott A. Hecker (Road to Perdition)
New Line Cinema
2002George Watters II & Christopher Boyes (Pearl Harbor)
beat 1 other
  • Gary Rydstrom & Michael Silvers (Monsters, Inc.)
Touchstone Pictures
2001Jon Johnson (U-571)
beat 1 other
  • Bub Asman & Alan Robert Murray (Space Cowboys)
Universal Pictures
2000Dane A. Davis (The Matrix)
beat 2 others
  • Ren Klyce & Richard Hymns (Fight Club)
  • Ben Burtt & Tom Bellfort (Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace)
Warner Bros.