Quick Facts
PiscesBiography
Karen Schmeer (February 20, 1970 – January 29, 2010) was a film editor who frequently collaborated with filmmaker Errol Morris.
Early life
Schmeer was born in Portland, Oregon, on February 20, 1970. She was the daughter of Michael Schmeer and Eleanor DuBois, as well as the granddaughter of photographer Ray Atkeson. She graduated from Portland's Lincoln High School in 1988 and then attended Boston University where she graduated in 1992 after studying anthropology.
Films
The year she graduated from college she was hired for an unpaid internship with Errol Morris. Schmeer edited a number of his films, including The Fog of War, a 2004 portrait of Robert S. McNamara that was nominated for an Eddie award and Fast, Cheap and Out of Control. She also edited Sergio, a 2009 film by Greg Barker about Sergio Vieira de Mello. Schmeer won the award for best documentary film editing at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival for Sergio. Other work included editing Sydney Pollack's 2005 documentary, Sketches of Frank Gehry.
Death
Karen Schmeer was killed on the evening of January 29, 2010, in a hit-and-run as she was crossing Broadway at 90th Street. The car that struck her was the getaway car for the robbery of a nearby pharmacy.