Directory Profile
Christopher Cooke, B.A., M.F.A. UCLA
Adjunct Associate Professor
Affiliated Divisions:
Division of Film & Television Production
Christopher Cooke is a second-generation Southern Californian who received a BA and MFA in Film Production from UCLA. While still in college, he collaborated with director King Vidor on his last short film, METAPHOR. The film documented a conversation between Vidor and artist Andrew Wyeth on Vidor’s influence and the nature of art.
Cooke began his editing career assisting Basil Wrangell, who had his first job in the industry working on the silent version of BEN HUR. Cooke has edited on features, TV movies, episodic television and reality TV. He has cut multiple genres including drama, comedy and documentary. Some of his credits are SPEECHLESS, AGENT CARTER, REAPER, THE X-FILES, AMERICAN DREAMS, DAWSON’S CREEK, CAGNEY & LACEY and MGM: WHEN THE LION ROARS. He has been nominated for an Emmy® (for the miniseries BLIND FAITH) and for two ACE Eddie Awards (CAGNEY & LACEY and BLIND FAITH).
He served on the Motion Picture Editors Guild Board for three years while writing and editing the precursor to the Guild’s magazine. He also co-wrote a history of the Guild for their website. As a longtime member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE), he served for seven years as Secretary on the Board of Directors. He has also written for the ACE CinemaEditor Magazine. He currently serves on several committees for ACE including Membership, Internship, and the Diversity Committee.