Sally Menke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sally Menke
Born	Sally JoAnne Menke (1953-12-17)December 17, 1953 Mineola, New York, U.S.
Died	September 27, 2010(2010-09-27) (aged 56) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film editor
Years active	1980–2010
Spouse(s)	Dean Parisot ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	2

Sally JoAnne Menke (December 17, 1953 – September 27, 2010) was a talented American film editor. She worked on many movies and TV shows. During her 30-year career, she helped create over 20 feature films.

Sally Menke was best known for working closely with director Quentin Tarantino. She edited all of his films until she passed away in 2010. Her amazing work earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. These nominations were for the movies Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds. She also received three nominations for the British Academy Film Award. These were for her work on Tarantino's Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, and Inglourious Basterds.

She was nominated for many different awards 25 times. In her thirty-year career, she won 12 of them.

Early Life and Education

Sally Menke was born in Mineola, New York. Her mother, Charlotte Menke, was a teacher. Her father, Dr. Warren Wells Menke, was a professor at Clemson University. Sally went to the PK Yonge Developmental Research School in Florida. She graduated from there in 1972.

Later, she moved back to New York. She studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Film in 1977.

A Career in Film Editing

Early in her career, Sally Menke edited documentaries for CBS. Her first feature film after college was Cold Feet, a comedy from 1983. In the 1990s, she worked on more films. These included Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Heaven & Earth, and Mulholland Falls.

In 1992, Menke met Quentin Tarantino. He was looking for an editor for his first feature film. She remembered him saying he needed "a cheap one." Tarantino sent her the script for Reservoir Dogs. She thought it was "amazing."

Menke was hiking in Canada when she learned she got the job. After they worked together on Reservoir Dogs, she edited every single one of Tarantino's films. This was a total of eight movies. Tarantino once said that the best director-editor teams "can finish each other's sentences." He called Menke his "only, truly genuine collaborator."

Together, they created a unique film style. This style mixed scenes with lots of dialogue and slow cuts. It also included fast-cut action scenes.

Sally Menke was chosen to be a member of the American Cinema Editors. This is a group of top film editors. In 2012, Pulp Fiction was listed as the 18th best-edited film of all time. This was on a list by the Motion Picture Editors Guild.

Menke's last editing work was on the thriller film Peacock. It was released in 2010 and directed by Michael Lander.

Personal Life

Sally Menke married film and television director Dean Parisot in 1986. Like Sally, he also graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Sally and Dean had two children, a son named Lucas and a daughter named Isabella.

Passing Away

On the morning of September 27, 2010, Sally Menke went hiking. She was with a friend and her dog. Her friend left after about an hour because Sally started feeling unwell in the heat. When Sally did not come home, her friends called the police.

Search dogs, a helicopter, and police officers looked for her for hours. Her car was found locked in a parking lot in Griffith Park. Sally Menke's body was found on September 28, 2010, at the bottom of a ravine. Her dog was found alive, sitting next to her. The medical examiner later said that her death was caused by the heat. The temperature in downtown Los Angeles was very high that day, around 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

Legacy and Impact

The Sundance Institute created a special fellowship in film editing to honor Sally Menke. This fellowship helps new film editors.

Quentin Tarantino's film Django Unchained (2012) is thought to be dedicated to her memory. It was the first Tarantino film that Menke did not edit. Fred Raskin, who used to be Menke's editing assistant, now edits Tarantino's films.

Filmography

Here are the feature films Sally Menke edited. She also edited two TV documentaries: Hans Bethe: Prophet of Energy (1980) and The Congress (1988).

Awards and Nominations

• 1995 – Pulp Fiction (nominated) – Academy Award – "Best Film Editing"
• 1995 – Pulp Fiction (nominated) – American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie Award – "Best Edited Feature Film"
• 1995 – Pulp Fiction (nominated) – BAFTA Film Award – "Best Editing"
• 2003 – Kill Bill: Volume 1 (won) – San Diego Film Critics Society Awards – "Best Editing"
• 2004 – Kill Bill: Volume 1 (nominated) – BAFTA Film Award – "Best Editing"
• 2004 – Kill Bill: Volume 1 (won) – Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards – Sierra Award for "Best Editing"
• 2005 – Kill Bill: Volume 2 (nominated) – American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie Award – "Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)"
• 2005 – Kill Bill: Volume 2 (nominated) – Online Film Critics Society OFCS Award – "Best Editing"
• 2010 – Inglourious Basterds (nominated) – Academy Award – "Best Film Editing"

See also

In Spanish: Sally Menke para niños