Peter S. Elliot

Peter S. Elliot, born October 20, 1962, right in the thick of New York City—yeah, the city that never sleeps—has seriously made a mark as a film editor. You might not know his face, but if you love sitting on the edge of your seat as the world crumbles in a blockbuster, you’ve probably seen his work. He’s the guy who pieced together those wild, apocalyptic moments in “2012,” the Roland Emmerich disaster-flick where the planet basically falls apart in spectacular fashion. And that’s not all—he also worked his editing magic on “The Day After Tomorrow,” another Emmerich special where New York gets frozen solid and Dennis Quaid tries to outrun climate change (good luck with that, buddy). Elliot’s got this knack for making chaos look smooth—like, you’re watching a tidal wave crash through L.A., and it just flows. His editing style keeps things moving, even when the world’s ending every five minutes. Oh, and he didn’t just stick to disaster films. Jump a few years forward, and he’s slicing up action scenes in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” You know, the one where Chris Evans goes from scrawny to superhero in about five seconds flat. Elliot’s edits hit that sweet spot: fast, but not confusing, so you don’t miss a thing. Basically, if you love movies that throw you headfirst into the action, Peter S. Elliot’s probably had a hand in making them tick. He’s the unsung hero behind some of the loudest, wildest, most entertaining blockbusters of the last two decades. Not a bad gig, honestly.