Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir

Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir, born smack in the middle of summer—July 6th, 1965—in Iceland, isn’t exactly your run-of-the-mill film editor. She’s got this sharp eye for action and timing that’s kind of legendary if you’re into film geekery at all. People mostly know her for slicing and dicing together high-adrenaline movies like Kate (the one with Mary Elizabeth Winstead taking names all over Tokyo), Deadpool 2 (yeah, the one where Ryan Reynolds makes fun of everyone, including himself), and that gritty thriller Contraband with Mark Wahlberg—remember that one from 2012? That’s her handiwork. She doesn’t just cut films; she stitches them together with this almost punk-rock energy. You watch those fight scenes in John Wick or Atomic Blonde (yep, she worked on those too), and you can almost feel every punch and crash. Editing like that isn’t just about making things look cool—though, let’s be real, she does that too—it’s about rhythm, about making your heart race at exactly the right moment. Not a lot of editors get their own fanbase, but Elísabet’s sort of a cult favorite among action junkies and people who obsess over behind-the-scenes stuff. And Iceland? It’s not exactly Hollywood, but her roots show up in her work somehow, like this raw, icy edge. She’s one of those people who make movies better without ever stepping in front of the camera. No big ego, just serious chops—and if you love a good action flick, odds are you’ve seen her work without even knowing it.