John Axelrad

John Axelrad edited Don Cheadle's Miles Ahead, a narrative drama about the life and music of Miles Davis, in which Cheadle also stars. The biopic premiered as the closing night film at the 2015 New York Film Festival.

Prior to that, Axelrad edited Chris Evans' comedy-drama Before We Go and William H. Macy's Rudderless. Axelrad has a frequent collaboration with director James Gray, having edited three films with him, which all premiered at the Cannes Film Festival: The Immigrant, Two Lovers and We Own the Night.

In between those films, Axelrad edited the thriller Gone for Lakeshore Entertainment and Summit Entertainment, the romantic comedy Something Borrowed for Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. and the Miramax romantic comedy The Switch. In 2009, Axelrad edited Fox Searchlight's critically acclaimed Crazy Heart, which starred Jeff Bridges, for director Scott Cooper.

Earlier credits for Axelrad include James Gunn's horror-comedy Slither, Danny and Oxide Pang's horror-thriller The Messengers and Screen Gems' horror-thriller Boogeyman. In 1999, Axelrad was an assistant editor on David Koepp's Stir of Echoes. In 2002, Axelrad served as editor on the pilot and 11 episodes of CBS' crime-drama television series Hack.

Axelrad began his editing career mentored by some of the best film editors in Los Angeles, including working as an assistant editor for Anne V. Coates on Out of Sight, Erin Brockovich and Unfaithful; Debra Neil-Fisher on Up Close and Personal; and Bruce Green on Home Alone 3 and While You Were Sleeping. Axelrad made the move to editor by cutting several independent feature films and television movies in between assisting jobs.

Universal Pictures