Nicholas Cominos, former radio-television-film professor

Nicholas Cominos offered himself as a hostage to let his crew go during a covert operation against the Nazis in the Dalmation Islands during World War II. He then worked on some major Hollywood film productions such as "Ben Hur."

The former radio-television-film professor who devoted his life to his students, his country and filmmaking died peacefully on March 14 at his home in East Bay, Calif. He was 84. Cominos and his family emigrated from the island of Kythera, Greece, and lived in the central valley of California while working at his family's hotel, the Cominos Hotel in Salinas, Calif. This hotel would later host guests such as former Presidents Taft, Hoover and Coolidge, and was also the subject of several books written by John Steinbeck.

Cominos had worked as a senior lecturer at UT since 1981 in the masters of fine arts program and the undergraduate production program, and retired May 1998. He taught editing classes and was influential in working with masters students as they finished up thesis films, said radio-television-film executive assistant Susan Dirks.

Radio-television-film professor Nancy Schiesari said Cominos was a brave person and an amazing humanist.

"He always put his students first," Schiesari said.

As a fellow colleague, she said, Cominos was charitable and good at editing films.

"He was so generous with his time and was so good at what he did, that when I was making my film called 'Loaves and Fishes,' he gave me his input on the cuts," Schiesari said. "He could have his whole film in his head and would be able to cut it so quickly."

RTF technical staff assistant Linda Cavage said Cominos was very knowledgeable and competent about helping students with equipment problems.

"We had one student who was very obnoxious and alienated himself from everyone and I even saw him being rude to Nick, but at 10 in the evening, the student called him needing help and Nick invited him right over," Cavage said. "Nick even offered his home to a student who needed to stay somewhere."

Cominos worked with students who have achieved cinematic success such as the Coen brothers, Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez.

"While he was in Texas, he was very much a father figure to the students," Schiesari said. "He would spend hours with students in the cutting room, and we would always see his green Volvo parked in the drive late at night, so we knew he was there helping students. He was an amazing man."

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