Michael Economou
October 30, 1928 - July 22, 2020
October 30, 1928 - July 22, 2020
Los
Angeles Times
August 2, 2020
Michael Economou, 91, passed away peacefully in his home on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, in Studio City, CA. He was preceded in death in 1998 by his wife of 38 years, Maria. He is survived by his daughters, Michele and Gina Economou of Los Angeles. Born in Greece on October 30, 1928, and raised in Athens, Michael was 13 when the Germans defeated and occupied Greece. He and his father, George, were taken hostage with 14,000 and were among the 10% who survived being marched from Athens to the northern border, a traumatic part of his history that he confided selectively. In an unguarded moment, he might tell you how he looked up one day, bleary and starved, and saw 3 fully embodied angels gliding silently over the devastation. Post WW2, Michael worked as a musician and band leader in Athens nightclubs, where he nurtured his lifelong love of jazz standards, whose phrasing and lyrics moved his heart and refined his English. He came to the US in 1956 to attend UCLA where he graduated in 5 semesters with his degree in Film and began his 40 year career as an editor and filmmaker. He was a member of the Editors, Writers, and Producers Guilds. In 1971 he won an Emmy for Film Editing for "The Bold Ones: The Senator", and was nominated for an Oscar for the feature length 1976 documentary," Off the Edge". Michael was a longstanding proud and involved member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences, where he was a judge for the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, on the Foreign Student Films Nominating Committee and on the Executive Committee for Foreign Student Films.Michael spoke with gratitude and reverence for his mentors, such as George Roy Hill, who generously guided and collaborated with the young editor; he paid it forward to Master's students at USC Film School, where he taught Film Editing for Writers to help students craft screenplays that naturally dovetailed with the film editing process, and through his participation on the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival. Many looked forward to getting Michael's happy birthday calls, which came in the form of an enthusiastic and lavish piano concert for one. He loved to cook and host intimate dinner parties for friends; and if all went as secretly planned, his guests joined him at the piano, singing his treasured standards until the wee hours. Michael enjoyed many long-lived and dear friendships, and his absence will be felt deeply by so many whose lives he touched. Memorial services will be scheduled when in-person gatherings are permitted.
Michael Economou, 91, passed away peacefully in his home on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, in Studio City, CA. He was preceded in death in 1998 by his wife of 38 years, Maria. He is survived by his daughters, Michele and Gina Economou of Los Angeles. Born in Greece on October 30, 1928, and raised in Athens, Michael was 13 when the Germans defeated and occupied Greece. He and his father, George, were taken hostage with 14,000 and were among the 10% who survived being marched from Athens to the northern border, a traumatic part of his history that he confided selectively. In an unguarded moment, he might tell you how he looked up one day, bleary and starved, and saw 3 fully embodied angels gliding silently over the devastation. Post WW2, Michael worked as a musician and band leader in Athens nightclubs, where he nurtured his lifelong love of jazz standards, whose phrasing and lyrics moved his heart and refined his English. He came to the US in 1956 to attend UCLA where he graduated in 5 semesters with his degree in Film and began his 40 year career as an editor and filmmaker. He was a member of the Editors, Writers, and Producers Guilds. In 1971 he won an Emmy for Film Editing for "The Bold Ones: The Senator", and was nominated for an Oscar for the feature length 1976 documentary," Off the Edge". Michael was a longstanding proud and involved member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences, where he was a judge for the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, on the Foreign Student Films Nominating Committee and on the Executive Committee for Foreign Student Films.Michael spoke with gratitude and reverence for his mentors, such as George Roy Hill, who generously guided and collaborated with the young editor; he paid it forward to Master's students at USC Film School, where he taught Film Editing for Writers to help students craft screenplays that naturally dovetailed with the film editing process, and through his participation on the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival. Many looked forward to getting Michael's happy birthday calls, which came in the form of an enthusiastic and lavish piano concert for one. He loved to cook and host intimate dinner parties for friends; and if all went as secretly planned, his guests joined him at the piano, singing his treasured standards until the wee hours. Michael enjoyed many long-lived and dear friendships, and his absence will be felt deeply by so many whose lives he touched. Memorial services will be scheduled when in-person gatherings are permitted.
ECONOMU, Michael
Born: 10/30/1938,
Athens, Greece
Died: 7/22/2020, Studio City, California,
U.S.A.
Michael Economu’s
westerns – film editor:
The Deadly Trackers - 1973
The Trial of Billy Jack – 1974
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (TV) - 2001
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