Ex-John Hampden School pupil's Oscar win (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Ex-John Hampden School pupil's Oscar win

10:15am Wednesday 10th March 2010 in

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A COOKHAM sound recordist was part of a team to scoop an Oscar for his role in The Hurt Locker.

Simon Bysshe, 28, was among the crew who won the prestigious gong for sound mixing at the glitzy Hollywood ceremony on Sunday night.

Simon, who was born and raised in the village, only began his career in the industry two years ago.

His mother Penny, an education consultant, of High Road, Cookham, said: “It's fantastic, he had no idea that the film would be good at all when he joined on the crew. He worked really hard doing it and it worked out extremely well.”

Simon, who went to John Hampden School in High Wycombe, watched the ceremony at home with mother Penny and his father Peter, chairman of Marlow Rifle Club, because only one of the sound team was invited to be at the ceremony itself.

However, he was mentioned in colleague Ray Beckett's acceptance speech.

Penny said the champagne was out when the award was announced.

She said: “He was thrilled with the nomination and was surprised it got so far because it's such a small low budget film. It's amazing.”

The former Cookham Nursery pupil's other credits include John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy, The Boat That Rocks and Genova starring Colin Firth.

He is currently working on Gulliver's Travels.

Simon also attended John Hampden School in High Wycombe and Dolphin School near Twyford.

The Hurt Locker, based around a team of bomb disposal specialists in Iraq, won six Oscars, including best film and best director – making Kathryn Bigelow the first female winner in the awards' history.