---
name: "Verna Fields"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/verna-fields"
fi1m_id: "verna-fields"
imdb_id: "nm0276368"
tmdb_id: 8556
wikidata_id: "Q2517245"
roles: ["Editor"]
born: "21 March 1918"
died: "30 November 1982"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 86
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-02T21:56:05.937251+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."
---

# Verna Fields

## Identity

Verna Fields

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/verna-fields
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** verna-fields
- **IMDb ID:** nm0276368
- **TMDB ID:** 8556
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2517245
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verna_Fields, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2517245, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0276368/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8556

Editor. Born 21 March 1918 in St. Louis. Died 30 November 1982.

## Details

- **Work:** Editor
- **Born:** 21 March 1918, St. Louis
- **Died:** 30 November 1982
- **Active:** 1968–1975
- **Frequently works with:** [Richard Dreyfuss](https://film.one/person/richard-dreyfuss.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 1 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 82 (1), 1970s 88 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 86 to 80 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Comedy 2, Crime 2, Horror 2, Thriller 2, Adventure 1
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $642m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verna_Fields, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2517245, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0276368/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8556

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Jaws*](https://film.one/film/jaws.md) (93)

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

## Biography

Verna Fields was an American film editor. She began her career in sound editing in the 1950s before moving into picture editing. Her work on films including *Medium Cool* (1969), *What's Up, Doc?* (1972), *American Graffiti* (1973), *Paper Moon* (1973) and *The Sugarland Express* (1974) established her reputation.

Fields edited Steven Spielberg's *Jaws* (1975), for which she received the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. She later became vice-president for feature production at Universal Pictures, a position she held until her death.

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

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Jaws* (1975), Fi1m 93, Editor, Second Unit Director — [page](https://film.one/film/jaws.md)
- *American Graffiti* (1973), Fi1m 84, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/american-graffiti.md)
- *Paper Moon* (1973), Fi1m 86, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/paper-moon.md)
- *Targets* (1968), Fi1m 82, Sound Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/targets.md)

## Complete filmography (23)

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

- *Jaws* (1975), Editor, Second Unit Director — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/jaws.md)
- *Daisy Miller* (1974), Editor
- *The Sugarland Express* (1974), Editor
- *American Graffiti* (1973), Editor — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/american-graffiti.md)
- *Paper Moon* (1973), Editor — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/paper-moon.md)
- *Pickup on 101* (1972), Sound Editor
- *What's Up, Doc?* (1972), Editor
- *Point of Terror* (1971), Supervising Editor
- *Medium Cool* (1969), Editor
- *Targets* (1968), Sound Editor — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/targets.md)
- *The Wild Racers* (1968), Editor
- *The Legend of the Boy and the Eagle* (1967), Editor
- *The Search for the Evil One* (1967), Editor
- *Deathwatch* (1966), Editor
- *The Bus* (1965), Assistant Editor
- *An Affair of the Skin* (1963), Editor
- *A Face in the Rain* (1963), Sound Editor
- *The Balcony* (1963), Sound Editor
- *El Cid* (1961), Sound Editor
- *Studs Lonigan* (1960), Editor
- *How to Make a Monster* (1958), Sound Effects Editor
- *Crime of Passion* (1956), Sound Effects Editor
- *While the City Sleeps* (1956), Sound Editor

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 1 nominated

- 1976: Best Film Editing (won), for *Jaws*
- 1974: Best Film Editing (nominated), for *American Graffiti*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1976: Best Editing (nominated), for *Jaws*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Crystal Award 1981: Crystal Award (won)

*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/verna-fields