Douglas E. Turner, ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Elephant Man’ Sound Man, Dies at 93

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I’m deeply saddened to share that Douglas E. Turner, a British rerecording mixer who collaborated with John Boorman on Deliverance and four other movies, as well as David Lynch on The Elephant Man, passed away at the age of 93. It’s a great loss for the film industry, especially to fans like me who admired his exceptional work.

On May 5th, Turner passed away at his home in Agua Dulce, California. His wife of 37 years, Justine Turner – a retired sound editor known for her work on ‘Dances With Wolves’ and ‘Field of Dreams’ – confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.

His rerecording career spanned 36 years, which included 19 at De Lane Lea Studios in London.

For two seasons between 1995 and 1997, Turner contributed to the production of “The X-Files” on Fox. His efforts during season three, specifically on the episode titled “Nisei,” were recognized with an Emmy award in 1996. Additionally, he was nominated for his work on the NBC telefilm “The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro” in 1989, and again in 1990 for the CBS telefilm “Caroline?”

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Additionally, he blended a critically acclaimed short movie (which won an Oscar) with a 1999 adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea,” but in animated form.

Following the nomination for the Best Picture Oscar with the film “Deliverance” in 1972, Turner and Boorman collaborated again on projects such as “Zardoz” (1974), “Excalibur” (1981), “The Emerald Forest” (1985) and “The General” (1998).

Turner additionally directed “The Gambler” in 1975, under Karel Reisz; “The Return of the Pink Panther” and “The Revenge of the Pink Panther,” both released in 1975 and 1978 respectively, for Blake Edwards; “Side by Side” in 1975 and “Puberty Blues” in 1981 for Bruce Beresford; and “The Omen” in 1976 for Richard Donner.

I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to work on a diverse range of films throughout my career. Some highlights include Peter Medak’s “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” (1972), David Hemmings’ “Running Scared” (1972), Ken Russell’s “Savage Messiah” (1972), “Theater of Blood” (1973), Gene Wilder’s “The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother” (1975), Delbert Mann’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” (1979), James Ivory’s “The Europeans” (1979), Neil Jordan’s “Angel” (1982), Michael Mann’s “The Keep” (1983), John Frankenheimer’s “The Fourth War” (1990), and Franco Zeffirelli’s “Otello” (1986). What an incredible journey it has been!

He also worked on the eighth season (1993-94) of NBC’s L.A. Law.

As a gamer, I’d rephrase it like this: “Besides my beloved wife, who I met at Cannon Films in 1987 when I moved from the U.K. to set up a mixing stage, we got engaged just a month later and were married three months after that. My family who survive me include daughters Sierra Rose and Glynnis, sons Malcolm and Steve, along with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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2025-05-20 03:55