Beloved father, husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend. Editor, artist, teacher, traveler, outdoors lover, and committed skier. Toby Robert Quentin Yates, 61, of Los Angeles, died of a stroke on November 17, 2023.

Toby was born in London in 1962. His father was film director and producer Peter Yates and his mother is film publicist Virginia Pope Yates. Growing up in London and New York City, Toby had a lifelong passion for all aspects of film and theater. Gentle, kind, and big-hearted, Toby was an avid reader and ever curious student of history and spiritualism.

Toby began his training in filmmaking and editing while in high school, working as an apprentice editor and later assistant editor to Roy Lovejoy.  After graduating from Skidmore College, Toby attended Columbia University School of Arts for Film Studies and won the first MTV Student Award for directing.  Following Columbia, he directed fringe theater in London and Los Angeles and from there, he went on to edit his first independent feature, “Cleopatra’s Second Husband.” “Cleopatra” led to further projects ranging from James Elroy’s “Brown’s Requiem” to “Don Quixote,” starring John Lithgow and directed by his father Peter Yates. Toby was a frequent collaborator with director Karen Moncrieff, editing her first feature “Blue Car” and later “The Dead Girl,” and most recently “The Trials of Cate McCall.” Toby also edited “The Moon and the Stars” with John Irvin for which he won Best Editor at the Milano International Film Festival and “Midnight Meat Train” and “No One Lives” with director Ryuhei Kitamura. Through the years, Toby worked as an editor on a number of television series including “Brothers & Sisters,” “Menendez,” and “Shameless.”

Most recently, Toby edited “Brave the Dark” with director Damian Harris. Toby also greatly enjoyed the opportunity to share his passion for film by teaching a new generation of editors through the American Film Institute and Maine Media.

Toby married designer Min Young Lee in 2014 and was a dedicated husband and joyful father to their son, Peter Lee Yates, 9. Together, they enthusiastically embraced life in LA with a wide circle of friends. As a family, they enjoyed traveling with their favorite destinations being Palm Springs, New York, Mexico, and Hawaii. As partners, parents, and best friends, they loved hiking, going to the beach, eating in Koreatown, and making weekly treks to the Larchmont Farmers’ Market, while sharing a deep passion for art, travel, and adventure.

Toby is survived by his loving wife Min, son Peter, mother Virginia, sister Miranda, nephew Theodore, and niece Beatrice.

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