John Grover, the British film editor who worked on six James Bond movies and contributed to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, has died at 87.
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Grover died on Sept. 28 at his home in Buckinghamshire, England, following a short illness. His son, Tim, confirmed his death to The Hollywood Reporter.
Grover built a career spanning some of Britain’s most prominent film productions. He worked on six Bond movies between 1977 and 1989, beginning with The Spy Who Loved Me and ending with Licence to Kill.
John Grover Had A License To Edit
His Bond credits included The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989). He took on increasing responsibility across the series, working as an assistant editor, assembly editor, supervising editor, co-editor, and editor.
Grover helped shape some of the franchise’s most memorable action. On The Spy Who Loved Me, he worked on the pre-credit sequence that ends with Roger Moore’s Bond skiing toward a cliff and parachuting away beneath a Union Jack. On Moonraker, he and John Glen assembled a final cut from roughly 800,000 feet of film over a 10-month period.
Before he became a prominent Bond editor, Grover worked on several major productions. His early credits included The Haunting, Doctor Zhivago, Grand Prix, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
His work on 2001 also gave him an unusual connection to one of cinema’s most distinctive sound effects. Grover said he spent six months recording the heavy breathing used during the astronauts’ sequences while wearing a space helmet. The British Film Editors later said Grover’s recording likely appeared in the finished film.
Grover also edited The Wild Geese, The Sea Wolves, The Final Option, Lifeforce, The First Olympics.
The British Film Editors honored Grover with its Lifetime Achievement Award in April 2026. He also served for many years as a vice-chairman of the organization and supported fellow editors by sharing his experience.