Anne V Coates death: Oscar-winning editor behind Lawrence of Arabia and The Elephant Man dies aged 92

The Oscar-winning editor behind the classic epic Lawrence of Arabia, Anne V Coates, has died, aged 92.

BAFTA confirmed the news, Tweeting: “We’re so sad to learn that British film editor Anne V. Coates has died.

"During her incredible career, Anne was BAFTA-nominated four times for work including The Elephant Man and Erin Brockovich, and received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2007. She will be greatly missed.”

Born in Reigate, Coates first worked as a nurse before embarking on a career in film, having become fascinated by film after seeing William Wyler's 1939 adaptation of Wuthering Heights.

After acting as an assistant editor at Pinewood Studios, Coates eventually worked with David Lean on Lawrence of Arabia, winning the Oscar for Best Film Editing. The movie contains one of the most famous cuts of all time, where a shot of Peter O'Toole blowing out a match transitions into a sunrise.

Coates was later nominated in the category a further four times - for Becket, The Elephant Man, In the Line of Fire, and Out of Sight - and was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2017 for lifetime achievement.

Other famous works include Murder on the Orient Express (1964), Erin Brockovich, and The Public Eye. Coates's last work as editor was on Fifty Shades of Grey.