Career Highlights: Speed, The Abyss, American Beauty
First Major Screen Credit: The Abyss (1989)
Biography
The work of sound department mixer Bob Beemer simply must be heard to be believed. From his work on such elaborate productions as James Cameron's underwater epic The Abyss to such low-key works as Sommersby (both 1993), Beemer's work is always sure to subtly enhance any film that it accompanies. A Los Angeles native and Loyola Marymount University graduate, Beemer was first nominated for a Best Sound Oscar for his work in the mountainous Sylvester Stallone thriller Cliffhanger (1993). Following the old adage "if at first you don't succeed, try and try again," Beemer did just that, winning the Oscar the following year for his work in Speed. Continuing work on such films as Independence Day (1996) and American Beauty (1999), Beemer returned to the Academy Awards again in 2001 to accept the Best Sound Oscar (along with fellow collaborators Scott Millan and Ken Weston) for his work on Ridley Scott's large-scale Gladiator. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Bob Beemer, (AKA Robert Joseph Beemer; Bobby Beemerino) was born on February 8, 1955, at Queen of Angels Hospital in Hollywood, California. Graduating from Loyola High School, Los Angeles in 1973, he studied Communication Arts and English at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, earning a bachelors degree in 1977 with a double major in those two fields. Always fascinated by sound, he became an expert in remixing for movies. His first professionally recorded sound was on Roots (1977). The Academy of Motion Pictures has honored Beemer for his work in sound by nominating him for several Academy Awards. As of 2007, he has won that prestigious award for four films: Speed (1994), Gladiator (2000), Ray (2004), and Dreamgirls (2006).
Filmography
An incomplete list of Beemer's more famous movies: