At the 45th CAS Awards, from left: Tod Maitland, CAS Career Achievement Honoree Dennis L. Maitland, Sr., CAS, and Norman Jewison.
The Cinema Audio Society announces that iconic and legendary production sound mixer Dennis L. Maitland, CAS, passed away in New York City on April 1, 2011, the day after his 80th birthday. A veteran of more than 80 feature films, Maitland worked with directors John Cassavettes, Paul Mazursky, Norman Jewison, Herb Ross, and Arthur Hiller, among others.
In 2009, Maitland received the Cinema Audio Society’s highest honor, the Career Achievement Award, at the 45th CAS Awards.
Maitland dedicated his life to New York City’s film industry. His children also work in the pro audio industry: daughter Kim Maitland is a recordist; son Tod Maitland is also a respected production sound mixer; and son Dennis Maitland, Jr., is a boom operator, as was late son, Dean Maitland. Besides the three children, Maitland is survived by his wife, Marja; his mother, Mildred Atkinson; and seven grandchildren.
Maitland’s film credits include The Prince of Tides, Three Days of the Condor, The Husbands, The Pawnbroker, Lenny, Gloria, …And Justice For All, and Moonstruck. Maitland began his career on the Ed Sullivan Show and later the Jackie Gleason Show. The CAS reports that one of Maitland’s favorite experiences was working on the 1974 Ali-Foreman project—The Rumble in the Jungle.
As a music mixer, Maitland worked with Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, The Beatles, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, and the Philharmonic Orchestras of New York, Boston, Berlin, Philadelphia and Montreal. On Broadway, Maitland was the sound designer for Prisoner of Second Avenue.
“The sound community is saddened by the loss of such a respected sound mixer,” says Cinema Audio Society President David E. Fluhr. “The outpouring of appreciation and affection that we saw at our CAS Awards Dinner in 2009, when Dennis was honored with the CAS Career Achievement Award, was an indication of the high regard he was held in by our organization and the industry.”
Contributions to Maitland’s memory may be sent to Hospice Care Network, 99 Sunnyside Boulevard, Woodbury, N.Y. 11797-9834.
