David Randall Thom (born August 21, 1951^[1]) is an American sound designer and the current director of sound design at Skywalker Sound.

Career

Randy Thom began working at FM radio station WYSO at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio as a volunteer in 1970. After two years he became the station's Program Director, produced a live music show he called “Live Music Crawlin’ Out Your Radio,” and did pieces for NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

In 1975 he moved to Berkeley, California and began working with Erik Bauersfeld at KPFA Radio producing radio plays.

Thom started his film career with a phone call to Walter Murch, who invited him to visit a re-mix of American Graffiti. Thom introduced himself to Walter Murch, Ben Burtt, and Mark Berger, and said he had been working for a radio station in Berkeley, and wanted to work in film sound."^[2]

At the end of the day Murch asked him to write an essay about what he had seen during the visit. A few weeks later Murch hired Randy to work on Apocalypse Now. His second film sound job would prove to be a strong turn in his career, as he assisted Ben Burtt in the Sound Effects Recording for The Empire Strikes Back.

In February 2010, Thom was honored with the Cinema Audio Society Career Achievement Award. The Award was presented by Thom's long time client and friend, Robert Zemeckis.

Thom received the prestigious MPSE Career Achievement Award at the 2014 Golden Reel Awards Gala in Los Angeles. The Award was presented by George Lucas.

Thom has been nominated for fifteen Oscars and has won two: one for Best Sound (for The Right Stuff) and one for Best Sound Editing (for The Incredibles). He has also received a British Academy Award for The Revenant and a French Academy Award for Le Chant de Loup.

Filmography

Awards

Academy Awards

• 2005 – Best Sound Editing, The Incredibles (shared with Michael Silvers)^[4]
• 1984 – Best Sound, The Right Stuff (shared with Mark Berger, Tom Scott and David MacMillan)^[5]

Nominations

• 2016 – Best Sound Mixing, The Revenant^[6]
• 2008 – Best Sound, Ratatouille^[7]
• 2008 – Best Sound Editing, Ratatouille^[7]
• 2005 – Best Sound Editing, The Polar Express^[4]
• 2005 – Best Sound Mixing, The Polar Express^[4]
• 2005 – Best Sound Mixing, The Incredibles^[4]
• 2001 – Best Sound Mixing, Cast Away^[8]
• 1998 – Best Sound Mixing, Contact^[9]
• 1995 – Best Sound Effects Editing, Forrest Gump^[10]
• 1995 – Best Sound, Forrest Gump^[10]
• 1992 – Best Sound, Backdraft^[11]
• 1984 – Best Sound, Never Cry Wolf^[5]
• 1984 – Best Sound, Return of the Jedi^[5]

British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA)

• 2016 - Best Sound, The Revenant

French Academy Awards (César)

• 2020 - Best Sound, The Wolf's Call

Honorary awards

• 2010 Cinema Audio Society Career Achievement Honoree.
• 2014 Motion Picture Sound Editors Career Achievement Honoree
• Honorary Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland