Oscar-Winning Sound Mixer Steve Maslow Dies At 81 After Legendary Hollywood Career

Steve Maslow, the acclaimed re-recording mixer behind some of Hollywood’s most iconic films, has died at 81.

The Cinema Audio Society confirmed that Maslow passed away on April 27 from cancer in West Hills, California, closing the curtain on a remarkable career that spanned more than five decades.

Maslow earned three Academy Awards for his outstanding sound work on ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, and ‘Speed’. He also received Oscar nominations for ‘Dune’, ‘Waterworld’, ‘Twister’, and ‘U-571’.

His impressive résumé stretched across classics like ‘Ordinary People’, ‘Gremlins’, ‘Edward Scissorhands’, ‘Batman Returns’, and ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’.

Beyond Hollywood blockbusters, Maslow also left his mark on legendary music films, beginning with ‘The Last Waltz’, directed by Martin Scorsese. His credits included ‘Stop Making Sense’, ‘Sign o’ the Times’, and ‘Michael Jackson: Black or White’.

Born in California’s San Fernando Valley in 1944, Maslow’s journey into entertainment began unexpectedly when he joined psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock as a roadie.

“Everybody else had a goal but me,” he recalled in a 2018 interview. “I said, ‘Sure, why not?’” That spontaneous decision launched a legendary career in sound.

Maslow is survived by his wife, Ronna, his son, Travis, and his granddaughter.