It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Donald Staples, a scholar and educator whose career helped establish film studies as a recognized academic discipline in the United States. Over the course of more than four decades, Don played a role in shaping the study of cinema as an intellectual field grounded in aesthetic analysis, historical inquiry, and critical engagement.

After earning his master’s degree in Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, Don completed his Ph.D. in Film at Northwestern University, where he was among the earliest cohort of doctoral students in the country to focus on transforming film from a trade into a subject of rigorous academic study. He went on to author numerous scholarly articles and reviews, write and co-author books, and contribute significantly to the development of curricula devoted to cinematography and film history from an aesthetic perspective.

Don’s academic appointments included teaching at six universities across a forty-five-year career. In 1979, he joined the University of North Texas as Chair of the Radio, Television and Film Department, later retiring as Professor Emeritus in 2004. His leadership at UNT strengthened the department’s academic profile and helped train generations of students who went on to careers throughout the film and media industries.

In addition to his scholarly and pedagogical contributions, Don was an active film critic for forty years, writing for Films in Review and providing annual Oscar analyses for national and local media outlets. His work bridged the worlds of scholarship and public discourse, bringing thoughtful film criticism to broad audiences.

Don’s professional service to the field was extensive. He served as President of the Society for Cinema Studies, helping guide the organization during a formative period in its history, and also as President of the University Film and Video Association. During the Cold War, he represented the United States as Vice President of the International Center of Schools of Film and Television, traveling internationally to support collaboration among film schools across geopolitical divides.

Donald Staples’s career was defined by leadership, institutional service, and a sustained commitment to advancing film studies as a respected and enduring discipline. SCMS extends its deepest sympathies to his family, friends, former students, and colleagues during this time of loss.