George Tomasini
George Tomasini (April 20, 1909 – November 22, 1964) was an American film editor from Springfield, Massachusetts. He is best known for a decade-long collaboration with director Alfred Hitchcock, editing nine Hitchcock films between 1954 and 1964, including Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds, as well as Cape Fear. On a 2012 list of the 75 best-edited films, four Tomasini-edited Hitchcock films appear: Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, and North by Northwest. He was known for creative, stylish editing that helped shape the films’ stories and characters, using techniques like overlapping dialogue and sharp jump cuts to heighten drama.
His work on Psycho, especially the famous shower scene, is considered his most important. The sequence was assembled from footage shot over many days, selecting about 60 shots from more than 70 camera setups to create a powerful 45-second moment. He also influenced many editors with his storytelling through editing. Tomasini was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for North by Northwest but lost to Ben-Hur.
He was married to Mary Brian from 1947 until his death in 1964; they had no children. Tomasini died of a heart attack on November 22, 1964, in Hanford, California, at age 55, while working on In Harm's Way.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:19 (CET).