Mark Robson (4 December 1913 – 20 June 1978) was a Canadian-American film director, producer, and editor. Robson began his 45-year career in Hollywood as a film editor. He later began working as a director and producer. He directed 34 films during his career, including Champion (1949), Bright Victory (1951), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), Peyton Place (1957), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), Von Ryan's Express (1965), Valley of the Dolls (1967), and Earthquake (1974). Robson was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director – for Peyton Place and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness – as well as four nominations for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in Feature Films. Two of his films were nominated for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or. In 1960, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture industry. Early life and education Born in Montreal, he attended Roslyn Elementary School and Westmount High School in Montreal. He later studied at the University of California, Los Angeles and Pacific Coast University School of Law. Robson then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios. He eventually went to work at RKO Pictures where he began training as a film editor. Career Editor In 1940, he worked as an assistant to Robert Wise on the editing of Citizen Kane, the film debut of Orson Welles. He and Wise also edited Welles' next movie, The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), and made drastic cuts to the ending of the film, which Welles disagreed with. Robson was promoted to editor for The Falcon's Brother (1942), an RKO B picture. He then edited Journey into Fear (1943), made by Orson Welles' company. The editing was again done without Welles' involvement. Work with Val Lewton Both Robson and Wise benefited from producer and screenwriter Val Lewton, who was supervising a series of low budget horror films at RKO that have since become legendary. The first was Cat People (1942), directed by Jacques Tourneur. Robson edited Lewton's next two films, both directed by Tourneur, I Walked with a Zombie (1943) and The Leopard Man (1943). Director Lewton was so impressed with Robson's work that he promoted him to director for The Seventh Victim (1943). Lewton liked the result, so Robson directed The Ghost Ship (1943). Lewton also gave Robert Wise his first directing