Kenneth Heeley-Ray (October 26, 1916 - January 19, 2006) was a British-Canadian film sound editor,"A Genie for a sound career". The Globe and Mail, October 21, 1993. most noted as a Canadian Film Award and Genie Award winner for Best Overall Sound and Best Sound Editing.Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. .
Born and raised in Macclesfield, Cheshire, he began his career in British film before moving to Canada in 1952 to work for the National Film Board of Canada; initially a short-term contract, he remained with the agency for 12 years before beginning to work for commercial film studios in the 1960s.Sid Adilman, "Genie shines on creative people behind the scenes". Toronto Star, December 3, 1993. He was also an occasional producer, winning a CFA in 1966 as coproducer with his wife Ann of the short educational film The Scribe.
After his retirement from the film industry in the early 1990s, his colleagues began to organize a campaign to have the Genie Awards honour him with a lifetime achievement award. Their efforts quickly garnered enthusiastic support from Canadian and international industry figures including Oliver Stone, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Daniel Petrie, Christopher Chapman, Bob Clark, Harold Greenberg and Garth Drabinsky, all of whom wrote letters of tribute praising Heeley-Ray's dedication, professionalism and willingness to mentor younger colleagues entering the industry, to the point that even Genie publicist Maria Topalovich was moved to tears reading them. He received the lifetime achievement award at the 14th Genie Awards in 1993.
He died in 2006 on Saltspring Island, British Columbia.
Awards Award Year Category Work Result Ref(s) Canadian Film Awards 1966 Best Training and Instruction Film The Scribewith Ann Heeley-Ray, John Sebert 1968 Best Sound Editing, Non-Feature A Place to Stand 1975 Best Sound Editing Black Christmas Genie Awards 1980 Agency Jay Scott, "Changeling leads Canadian Film Award nominees". The Globe and Mail, February 8, 1980. Murder by Decree 1981 Tributewith Wayne Griffin, Patrick Drummond Jay Scott, "Genie nominations released". The Globe and Mail, February 10, 1981. 1983 Quest for Firewith Martin Ashbee,Kevin Ward, David Evans Best Overall Sound Quest for Firewith Claude Hazanavicius, Austin Grimaldi, Don White, Joe Grimaldi 1984 Best Sound Editing A Christmas Storywith David Evans, Steven Cole, Wayne Griffin Jay Scott, "11 nominations for Chapdelaine in Genie race". The Globe and Mail, February 10, 1984. Best Overall Sound A Christmas Storywith Dino Pigat, David Appleby 1989 Best Sound Editing Iron Eagle IIwith David Evans, Richard Cadger, Robin Leigh, Drew King Jay Scott, "Cronenberg film earns a dozen nominations: Dead Ringers tops Genie list". The Globe and Mail, February 14, 1989. 1993 Lifetime Achievement
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