Joel Cox


Joel Cox is an American film editor. He is best known for collaborating with Clint Eastwood in over 30 films.

Life and career

Cox has been working in film since appearing as a baby in Random Harvest. He started in the mailroom at Warner Bros. in 1961. Rudi Fehr, a well-known editor and executive at Warner Bros., made Cox an apprentice editor about 3 years later. As was common in the era, Cox worked as an uncredited assistant for several years. His first credit as an assistant editor was for The Rain People, which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and edited by Barry Malkin. His first credit as the editor was for Farewell, My Lovely, which was directed by Dick Richards and co-edited by the veteran editor Walter A. Thompson. Cox had just finished working as Thompson's assistant on Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins, which was also directed by Richards. Cox worked on two more of Richards' films, March or Die and Death Valley.
Cox has had a notable collaboration with Clint Eastwood that commenced with the 1976 film The Outlaw Josey Wales, for which Cox was Ferris Webster's assistant. Cox and Webster were co-editors on The Gauntlet and on several more of Eastwood's subsequent films. Starting with Sudden Impact, Cox became Eastwood's principal editor. Cox has been quoted as saying that, over their 30-year partnership, Eastwood has re-cut only a single scene that Cox put together. Gary D. Roach, who worked as Cox's assistant from the mid-1990s, became Cox's co-editor on Eastwood's films with Letters from Iwo Jima. Cox's long streak editing each of Eastwood's films ended with Sully, which was edited by another of his former assistants, Blu Murray.
In addition to his career in the film industry, since 2000 Cox and his family have owned and managed a vineyard and winery near Paso Robles, California.
Cox won the 1992 Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Unforgiven. He has been elected as a member of the American Cinema Editors. On November 25, 2008, Clint Eastwood presented Cox the first Ignacy Paderewski Lifetime Achievement Award, which is named in honor of the piano virtuoso who called Paso Robles home, at the first Paso Robles Digital Film Festival. He received a nomination for the 2009 BAFTA Award for Best Editing for Changeling and for the 2015 Academy Award for Best Film Editing for American Sniper.

Filmography

The 2008 Paso Robles Digital Film Festival provides a full filmography of Joel Cox as part of his Lifetime Achievement Award.

Editor

YearFilmDirectorNotes
2019Richard JewellClint Eastwood
2018The MuleClint Eastwood
2018Den of ThievesChristian Gudegastwith David S. Cox, Nathan Godley
2017All Eyez on MeBenny Boom
2014American SniperClint Eastwoodwith Gary D. Roach
2014Jersey BoysClint Eastwoodwith Gary D. Roach
2013PrisonersDenis Villeneuvewith Gary D. Roach
2012Trouble with the CurveRobert Lorenzwith Gary D. Roach
2011J. EdgarClint Eastwoodwith Gary D. Roach
2010HereafterClint Eastwoodwith Gary D. Roach
2009InvictusClint Eastwoodwith Gary D. Roach
2008Gran TorinoClint Eastwoodwith Gary D. Roach
2008ChangelingClint Eastwoodwith Gary D. Roach
2007American Masters Tony Bennett: The Music Never EndsBruce Ricker
Clint Eastwood Producer
2006Letters from Iwo JimaClint Eastwoodwith Gary D. Roach
2006Flags of Our FathersClint Eastwoodwith Gary D. Roach.
2005Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do ThatBruce Ricker
2004Million Dollar BabyClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Frankie Dunn
2003The Blues: Piano BluesClint Eastwood
2003Mystic RiverClint EastwoodOriginal Music by Clint Eastwood
2002Blood WorkClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Terry McCaleb
2000Space CowboysClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Frank Corvin
1999True CrimeClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Steve Everett
1997Midnight in the Garden of Good and EvilClint Eastwood
1997Absolute PowerClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Luther Whitney
1997Eastwood After Hours: Live at Carnegie HallBruce Ricker
1995The Stars Fell on HenriettaJames Keach
1995The Bridges of Madison CountyClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Robert Kincaid
1993A Perfect WorldClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Chief Red Garnett
1992UnforgivenClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as William 'Bill' Munny
Won the 1992 Academy Award for Best Film Editing
1990The RookieClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Nick Pulovski
1990White Hunter Black HeartClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as John Wilson
1989Pink CadillacBuddy Van HornClint Eastwood as Tommy Nowak
1988BirdClint Eastwood
1988The Dead PoolBuddy Van HornSupervising editor; Eastwood as Insp. 'Dirty' Harry Callahan
1986Heartbreak RidgeClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Gunnery Sgt. Tom 'Gunny' Highway
1986RatboySondra Locke
1985Pale RiderClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Preacher
1984TightropeRichard TuggleClint Eastwood as Capt. Wes Block
1983Sudden ImpactClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Harry Callahan
1982Honkytonk ManClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Red Stovall; with Ferris Webster and Michael Kelly.
1982Death ValleyDick Richards
1980Bronco BillyClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Bronco Billy McCoy; with Ferris Webster.
1978Every Which Way but LooseJames FargoClint Eastwood as Philo Beddoe; with Ferris Webster.
1977The GauntletClint EastwoodClint Eastwood as Ben Shockley; with Ferris Webster.
1976The EnforcerJames FargoClint Eastwood as Insp. 'Dirty' Harry Callahan; with Ferris Webster.
1975Farewell, My LovelyDick Richardsco-edited with Walter Thompson

Assistant editor

Sound department

YearFilmDirectorJobNotes
1969The Learning TreeGordon Parkssound assistant

Self

YearShowEpisodeNotes
2006HBO First LookA Moment in Time... Flags of Our Fathers
2005Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed CinemaVideo
2002All on Accounta Pullin' a TriggerVideo
2000American MastersClint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
1999Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'Video
1993The 65th Annual Academy AwardsWinner: Best Film Editing
1993Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
1992Eastwood & Co.: Making 'Unforgiven'

Awards

YearResultAwardCategoryRecipientNotes
2015NominatedOscarBest Film EditingAmerican SniperShared with Gary D. Roach
2005NominatedOscarBest Film EditingMillion Dollar Baby
1993WonOscarBest Film EditingUnforgiven
2005NominatedEddieEdited Feature Film - DramaticMillion Dollar Baby
2004NominatedEddieBest Edited Feature Film - DramaticMystic River
1993WonEddieBest Edited Feature FilmUnforgiven
2006WonHollywood Film AwardEditor of the Year
2006NominatedSatellite AwardBest Film EditingFlags of Our Fathers
2004NominatedGolden Satellite AwardBest Film EditingMystic River
2009NominatedBritish Academy of Film and Television ArtsBAFTA Award for Best EditingChangelingShared with Gary D. Roach