Elliot Graham, Oscar-Nominated Editor of Milk, Dies at 50

Film editor Elliot Graham, recognised with an Oscar nomination for cutting Milk, has died at 50.

He died by suicide on Saturday in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter on 22 September. He was 50.

Graham was born on 8 June 1976 in Claremont, California. The editor, the craft worker who assembles raw footage into pace, performance and story, built his career across large studio features and prestige drama.

His awards breakthrough came with Milk, for which he received an Oscar nomination for editing. The nomination places its recipient among the five editors shortlisted by the United States film academy in a given year.

He later shared a BAFTA award with Tom Cross for editing No Time to Die (2021), as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. BAFTA, the British academy for film and television, presents its honours each year in London. No Time to Die was Graham's final credit as film editor.

Earlier, Graham had cut Superman Returns (2006) for director Bryan Singer. He went on to edit Steve Jobs (2015) and Captain Marvel (2019). The work moved between director-led drama and large franchise production. Each job centred on the same cutting-room task. Select takes. Shape rhythm. Hold the story together.

For television, Graham served as both producer and film editor on Trust, the 2018 FX series about the 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty III. The dual role combined creative responsibility for the edit with a producer's organisational duties on the production.

Graham carried the letters ACE after his name, the mark of membership in American Cinema Editors, the professional body for the craft. He was listed among the nominees for the 72nd Annual ACE Eddie Awards in 2022, according to American Cinema Editors. The Eddies recognise editing work in film and television.

His death was recorded in Los Angeles. He was 50.