British film editor John Grover, known for his work on six James Bond films, has died at the age of 87. He passed away at his home in Buckinghamshire after a short illness, his son Tim told The Hollywood Reporter.
Grover served as editor on For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill. He also worked as an assembly editor on The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker and Octopussy.
His career also included work with Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Grover later recalled his experience with Kubrick, saying, “I spent six months of my life with that idiot,” and calling the director a perfectionist.
Grover also claimed he provided the famous heavy breathing heard in 2001, saying, “All I did was breathing for six months.”
The British editors guild said both Kubrick and Grover were recorded, and it is thought Grover’s recording was used.
A longtime vice chairman of the British Film Editors, Grover received the organisation’s Lifetime Achievement Award in April.
