Oscar-nominated editor Robert Dalva dies aged 80

Veteran film editor Robert Dalva died on January 27. He had earned an Oscar nomination for his work in the critically-acclaimed film The Black Stallion. He has also been part of popular projects such as Jumanji and Captain America: The First Avenger. He was 80 years old at the time of his passing.

Robert Dalva died of lymphoma. His son Matthew Dalva revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he died in Marin County, California. 

The life and career of Robert Dalva

Robert Dalva was enrolled in the USC film school and was part of the same class as Star Wars' George Lucas. He went on to work with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola in 1969. They later moved on to start their own American Zoetrope production company in San Francisco. 

George Lucas later worked with Robert Dalva and hired him for photography in the second unit of the first Star Wars (1977). Subsequently, Dalva worked alongside director Carroll Ballard on Black Stallion (1979) which was produced by Francis Ford Coppola. The film held an Oscar-nominated performance from actor Mickey Rooney. 

In a 2012 interview, Dalva revealed that Francis came to him from a taxi cab, and upon exiting, asked him if he would want to direct a potential sequel to Black Stallion. Dalva simply replied, "Sure, Francis."

“Francis pulled up in a taxicab and got out. And he said, ‘Robert, if there’s a sequel to Black Stallion, you want to direct it?’ And I said, ‘Sure, Francis.'”

The Black Stallion Returns (1983) marked the only film directed by the late editor. The film was shot in Italy and Morocco. Born on April 14, 1942, Robert Dalva was born in New York and cited François Truffaut's The 400 Blows to be his "first real start" in his interest in cinema.