Harry Keramidas
Biography
Harry Keramidas, born Harold Thomas Keramidas, is an American film and television editor. Born in August 1940 in Detroit, Michigan, he studied at the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and UCLA, where he developed an interest in ethnographic filmmaking.
Career
Keramidas began his editing career in 1974 with Memory of Us. Before moving into major feature films, he worked on documentaries, educational films, and ethnographic projects, eventually editing more than 70 such productions. He also worked as a dialogue editor on Martin Scorsese's New York, New York (1977).
His breakthrough came with Back to the Future (1985), which he co-edited with Arthur Schmidt. He subsequently worked on Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990), making him an important contributor to one of Hollywood's most celebrated film trilogies.
His other notable editing credits include Children of the Corn (1984), About Last Night... (1986), The Squeeze (1987), Big Business (1988), Chances Are (1989), Passed Away (1992), Judge Dredd (1995), Hoodlum (1997), Tomcats (2001) and The Final Season (2007). He also served as an additional editor on Contact (1997).
Legacy
Keramidas' career spans several decades and includes work in feature films, television, documentaries, and educational productions. His collaboration on the Back to the Future trilogy remains his most widely recognized achievement. His editing work on the first film also earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Editing.
In addition to filmmaking, Keramidas has contributed to film education and community arts. He became associated with the Ashfield FilmFest in Massachusetts and has participated in workshops discussing film editing and post-production.
Selected Filmography
- Memory of Us (1974)
- Children of the Corn (1984)
- Back to the Future (1985)
- About Last Night... (1986)
- Big Business (1988)
- Chances Are (1989)
- Back to the Future Part II (1989)
- Back to the Future Part III (1990)
- Judge Dredd (1995)
- Contact (1997)
- Hoodlum (1997)
- The Final Season (2007)
Harry Keramidas is remembered as a skilled editor whose extensive career bridged documentary filmmaking, television, and Hollywood features, with his work on the Back to the Future trilogy standing as his most enduring contribution to cinema.
