---
name: "Sam O'Steen"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/sam-osteen"
fi1m_id: "sam-osteen"
imdb_id: "nm0642714"
tmdb_id: 12015
wikidata_id: "Q2216597"
roles: ["Editor"]
born: "6 November 1923"
died: "11 October 2000"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_over: 8
updated: "2026-10-04T23:45:25.857439+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Sam O'Steen

## Identity

Sam O'Steen

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/sam-osteen
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** sam-osteen
- **IMDb ID:** nm0642714
- **TMDB ID:** 12015
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2216597
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_O%27Steen, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2216597, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0642714/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12015

Editor. Born 6 November 1923 in St. Francis, Arkansas, USA. Died 11 October 2000.

## Details

- **Work:** Editor
- **Born:** 6 November 1923, St. Francis, Arkansas, USA
- **Died:** 11 October 2000
- **Active:** 1966–1994
- **Also known as:** Sam O' Steen
- **Frequently works with:** [Mike Nichols](https://film.one/person/mike-nichols.md), [Jack Nicholson](https://film.one/person/jack-nicholson.md), [Douglas Wick](https://film.one/person/douglas-wick.md), [Robert Evans](https://film.one/person/robert-evans.md), [Roman Polanski](https://film.one/person/roman-polanski.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 3 Oscar nominations
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 87 (4), 1970s 93 (1), 1980s 68 (2), 1990s 60 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 87 to 82 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 7, Romance 4, Comedy 3, Crime 2, Horror 2, Thriller 2
- **Screen time:** 16 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $505m across 8 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_O%27Steen, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2216597, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0642714/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12015

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Chinatown*](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md) (93)
- **Apple TV:** [*Rosemary's Baby*](https://film.one/film/rosemarys-baby.md) (92)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*The Graduate*](https://film.one/film/the-graduate.md) (86)
- **Tubi:** [*Wolf*](https://film.one/film/wolf.md) (60)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Sam O'Steen was an American film editor and occasional director. He began working as an assistant editor in the 1950s and received his first editing credit on Youngblood Hawke (1964).

O'Steen had a long collaboration with director Mike Nichols, editing 12 of his films from 1966 to 1994. His credits include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), The Graduate (1967), Cool Hand Luke (1967), Rosemary's Baby (1968) and Chinatown (1974). He also edited Working Girl (1988), Frantic (1988), Regarding Henry (1991) and Wolf (1994).

He was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Chinatown and Silkwood (1983), and won a BAFTA Award for The Graduate. O'Steen directed several television films, including Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975), and the feature Sparkle (1976). He died in 2000.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, latimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (8)

- *Wolf* (1994), Fi1m 60, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/wolf.md)
- *Working Girl* (1988), Fi1m 80, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/working-girl.md)
- *Heartburn* (1986), Fi1m 55, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/heartburn.md)
- *Chinatown* (1974), Fi1m 93, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md)
- *Rosemary's Baby* (1968), Fi1m 92, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/rosemarys-baby.md)
- *Cool Hand Luke* (1967), Fi1m 84, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/cool-hand-luke.md)
- *The Graduate* (1967), Fi1m 86, as Man on Bus (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-graduate.md)
- *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?* (1966), Fi1m 86, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf.md)

## Complete filmography (42)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The White River Kid* (1999), Editor
- *Night Falls on Manhattan* (1997), Editor
- *Wolf* (1994), Editor — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/wolf.md)
- *Consenting Adults* (1992), Editor
- *Regarding Henry* (1991), Editor
- *Postcards from the Edge* (1990), Editor
- *A Dry White Season* (1989), Editor
- *Working Girl* (1988), Editor — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/working-girl.md)
- *Biloxi Blues* (1988), Editor
- *Frantic* (1988), Editor
- *Nadine* (1987), Editor
- *Heartburn* (1986), Editor — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/heartburn.md)
- *Kids Don't Tell* (1985), Director
- *Silkwood* (1983), Editor
- *Amityville II: The Possession* (1982), Editor
- *The Best Little Girl in the World* (1981), Director
- *Together?* (1979), Editor
- *Hurricane* (1979), Editor
- *Straight Time* (1978), Editor
- *Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby* (1976), Director
- *High Risk* (1976), Director
- *Sparkle* (1976), Director
- *Queen of the Stardust Ballroom* (1975), Director
- *Chinatown* (1974), Editor — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md)
- *I Love You...Good-bye* (1974), Director
- *The Day of the Dolphin* (1973), Editor
- *A Brand New Life* (1973), Director
- *Portnoy's Complaint* (1972), Editor
- *Carnal Knowledge* (1971), Editor
- *Catch-22* (1970), Editor
- *The Sterile Cuckoo* (1969), Editor
- *Rosemary's Baby* (1968), Editor — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/rosemarys-baby.md)
- *The Graduate* (1967), as Man on Bus (uncredited) · Editor — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/the-graduate.md)
- *Cool Hand Luke* (1967), Editor — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/cool-hand-luke.md)
- *Hotel* (1967), Editor
- *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?* (1966), Editor — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf.md)
- *Marriage on the Rocks* (1965), Editor
- *None But the Brave* (1965), Editor
- *Youngblood Hawke* (1964), Editor
- *Kisses for My President* (1964), Editor
- *Robin and the 7 Hoods* (1964), Editor
- *Auntie Mame* (1958), Assistant Editor

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 3 nominated

- 1984: Best Film Editing (nominated), for *Silkwood*
- 1975: Best Film Editing (nominated), for *Chinatown*
- 1967: Best Film Editing (nominated), for *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/sam-osteen