The Celluloid Void Project: A Compendium of Female Film Editors, 1900–1950

When I started The Celluloid Void, I didn't really know exactly what I wanted it to be… I wanted to focus on women working in the film industry, but at first, I primarily used it as a place to house reviews and lists related to more modern films. As I found myself doing more research for pieces on early cinema, however, I began to realize how little had been written on many of the oldest women cinematographers, screenwriters, directors, and—the subject of today's post—editors.

Inspired by Columbia's Women Film Pioneers Project, I began keeping a list of women who didn't have Wikipedia entries of their own, and I started my research. Before I knew it, I had dug into the fascinating lives of hundreds of inspiring, independent, free-spirited women who pursued a career in a young medium full of possibility. The women you'll see on this ongoing list were true risk takers in every sense of the word… In their free time, they were into racing cars, flying planes, breaking social taboos, and helping define the language of film as we know it today.

The list is ordered by birth year, starting with the oldest women of the bunch, and you can click through each link to see her full Wikipedia entry. Of course, all research is ongoing, and I'm always looking for new things to add. Also, for those interested in the history of women film editors, Princeton's Edited By webpage is an excellent resource.

⭐ = added to Wikipedia by me

* = no English-language Wikipedia page (yet!)

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1870–

Patricia Rooney (1879–1940) [IMDB] 🇺🇸 ⭐

Edith Wakeling (1879–1962) [IMDB] 🇨🇦 ⭐

1880–

Hettie Gray Baker (1880–1957) [WFPP] [IMDB] 🇺🇸

Anne Bauchens (1882–1967) 🇺🇸

Gertrude Thanhouser (1882–1951) 🇺🇸

Adelaide Cannon (1883–1971) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Ethel Davey (1885–1972) 🇬🇧 ⭐

Katherine Hilliker (1885–1965) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Verna Willis (1887–1966) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Tay Malarkey (1889–1973) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Maria Rosado (1899–1970) 🇮🇹

1890–

Mildred Johnston (1890–1974) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Della M. King (1890–??) 🇮🇪 ⭐

Jane Loring (1890–1983) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Leotta Whytock (1890–1972) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Margaret Darrell (1891–1984) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Marguerite Beaugé (1892–1977) 🇫🇷 ⭐

Marie Ejlersen (1892–??)* 🇩🇰

Edla Hansen (1893–1979) 🇩🇰 ⭐

Irene Morra (1893–1978) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Margarete Steinborn (1893–1957) 🇩🇪

Grace McKee (1894–??)* 🇺🇸

Alyson Schaffer (1894–1974) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Esfir Shub (1894–1959) [WFPP] 🇷🇺

Helene Warne (1894–1893) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Viola Lawrence (1894–1973) 🇺🇸

Marie Bourová (1895–??)* 🇦🇹

Marie Halvey (1895–1967) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Margaret Clancey (1897–1989) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Ella Ensink (1897–1968) 🇩🇪

Erma Horsley (1897–??) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Frances Marsh (1897–1958) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Rose Smith (1897–1962) 🇺🇸

Jeanne Spencer (1897–1985) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Margaret Booth (1898–2002) 🇺🇸

Winifred Dunn (1898–??) 🇺🇸

Helen Lewis (1898–??) 🇨🇦 ⭐

Blanche Sewell (1898–1949) [Edited By] 🇺🇸

Doris Drought (1899–1976) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Barbara Hunter (1899–??) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Alma Reville (1899–1982) 🇬🇧

Mildred Richter (1899–1972) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Edith Schlüssel (1899–1981) 🇩🇰 ⭐

1900–

Peggy O'Day (1900–1964) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Elizaveta Svilova (1900–1975) [Edited By] [IMDB] 🇷🇺

Mona Donaldson (1901–??) 🇦🇺 ⭐

Rose Loewinger (1902–2000) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Eda Warren (1903–1980) 🇺🇸

Edith Kiel (1904–1993) 🇩🇪

Alma Macrorie (1904–1970) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Gisa Radicchi Levi (1905–1985) 🇮🇹 ⭐

Viola Roehl (1905–??) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Vera Wade (1905–??) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Denise Batcheff (1906–2000) 🇫🇷

Adrienne Fazan (1906–1986) [Edited By] 🇺🇸

Monica Kimick (1906–1982) 🇬🇧 ⭐

Marguerite Renoir (1906–1987) [Edited By] 🇫🇷

Tonka Taldy (1907–??)* 🇫🇷

Jolanda Benvenuti (1908–1981) [Edited By] 🇮🇹

Monica Collingwood (1908–1989) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Suzanne de Troeye (1908–1989)* 🇫🇷

Dorothy Spencer (1909–2002) [Edited By] 🇺🇸

1910–

Alice Ludwig (1910–1973) 🇩🇪

Gloria Schoemann (1910–2006) 🇲🇽

Betty Steinberg (1910–1965) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Thelma Connell (1912–1976) 🇬🇧 ⭐

Gertrud Hinz (1912–1996) 🇩🇪

Mercedes Alonso (1913–2013) 🇪🇸 ⭐

Alexandra Anatra (1913–1973)* 🇩🇪

Paula Dvorak (1913–??) 🇦🇹 ⭐

Madeleine Gug (1913–1971)* 🇫🇷

Judith Crawley (1914–1986) 🇨🇦

Rita Roland (1914–1998) 🇩🇪 ⭐

Hermine Diethelm (1915–1997)* 🇦🇹

Jean Barker (1919–??) 🇬🇧 ⭐

Jirina Lukesová (1919–2010)* 🇨🇿

Edith Nisted Nielsen (1919–2001)* 🇩🇰

1920–

Marjorie Fowler (1920–2003) 🇺🇸

Noreen Ackland (1921–2013) 🇳🇿

Helga Cranston (1921–2013) 🇩🇪 ⭐

Francoise Javet (1922–??) 🇫🇷 ⭐

Janina Niedźwiecka (1922–2004) 🇷🇺

Anne V. Coates (1925–2018) 🇺🇸

Suzanne Barron (1927–1995) 🇫🇷 ⭐

Arline Garson (1927–2016) 🇺🇸 ⭐

Unknown

Guiliana Atteni (active 1947–1973) 🇮🇹 ⭐

Denise Baby (active 1947–1971) 🇫🇷 ⭐

Madeleine Bagiau (active 1939–1973)* 🇫🇷

Hélène Basté (active 1950–1969)* 🇫🇷

Elsie Baum (active 1930–1940)*

Monique Bonnot (active 1943–1973)*

Mme. Bruyere (active 1931)* 🇫🇷

Jeannette Burton (active 1939–1961)* 🇫🇷

Vera Campbell (active 1942–1957)*

Henriette Caire (active 1926–1952)* 🇫🇷

Suzanne Catelain (active 1930–1945)* 🇫🇷

Madeleine Crétolle (active 1935–1967)* 🇫🇷

Michèlle David (active 1942–1989)* 🇫🇷

Betty Davis (active 1925–1929) ⭐

Lucienne Déméocq (active 1942–1945)* 🇫🇷

Petra de Nieva (active 1941–1978) ⭐

Marguerite de Ochoa (active 1940–1970)

Luise Dreyer-Sachsenberg (active 1945–1979)*

Martha Dubber (active 1930–1962) ⭐

Isabelle Elman (active 1935–1954)* 🇫🇷

Renée Gary (active 1946–1960) 🇫🇷 ⭐

Hazel Girardin (active 1934–1950)* 🇫🇷

Marthe Gottié (active 1937–1956)* 🇫🇷

Hilde Grebner (active 1931–1954)*

Louisette Hautecouer (active 1936–1975)* [Edited By] 🇫🇷

Peggy Hennessey (active 1937–1941) 🇬🇧 ⭐

Nan Heron (active 1919)* 🇺🇸

Emma Hill (active 1929–1935) ⭐

Anna Hollering (active 1936–1970)*

Monique Isnardon (active 1949–1986)* 🇫🇷

Monique Kirsanoff (active 1938–1980) 🇫🇷 ⭐

Elisabeth Kleinert-Neumann (active 1933–1967)*

Hanne Kuyt (active 1930–1933)*

Madame Lamart (active 1949)* 🇫🇷

Marthe Leroux (active 1937–1939)* 🇫🇷

Elise Lustig (active 1942–1944)*

Yvonne Martin (1934–1985)

Fanchette Mazin (active 1937–1961)*

Ann McKnight (active 1913–1931) ⭐

Johanna Meisel (active 1940–1962)

Émilienne Nelissen (active 1935–1950)*

Lena Neumann (active 1934–1963)

Paula Neurisse (active 1934–1962)* 🇫🇷

Flora Newton (active 1936–1947)

Margaret Noell (active 1940–1944)*

Adriana Noveli (active 1947–1972)*

María Paredes (active 1937–1950) ⭐

Nathalie Petit-Roux (active 1949–1957)

Henriette Pinson (active 1927–1943) 🇫🇷 ⭐

Leopoldine Pokorny (active 1936–1966)*

Marthe Poncin (active 1928–1959)* 🇫🇷

Magdalena Pulido (active 1947–1978) ⭐

Denise Reiss (active 1950–1955)* 🇩🇪

Mildred Rich (active 1938–1942)*

Maria Rosada (active 1937–1967)* 🇮🇹

Selma Rosenbloom (active 1929)*

Johanna Rosinski (active 1935–1957)*

Bienvenida Sanz (active 1940–1948)* 🇪🇸

Daisy Saunders (active 1929)*

Anneliese Schönnenbeck (active 1944–1960)

Margarete Smolka (active 1947–1953)* 🇦🇹

Dolores Tamburini (active 1939–1970)* 🇮🇹

Jacqueline Thiédot (active 1948–1995)* 🇫🇷

Helene Turner (active 1915–1966) ⭐

Geneviève Vaury (active 1949–1988)* 🇫🇷

Ilse Voigt (active 1941–1973)*

Mamie Wagner (active 1914)*

Hazel Wilkinson (active 1938–1968)*

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