Born in New York City; attended Colgate University, Harvard University and Syracuse University before completing his postgraduate work in cinema at USC. He became a part of Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope in the late 1960s and worked as a cameraman on industrial films, commercials and documentaries before working as a second unit director on the films STAR WARS (1977), THE WAR OF THE ROSES (1989) and RAISING CAIN (1992) and second unit cameraman on AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) and THE BLACK STALLION (1979). He directed many award-winning documentaries, including the celebrated PBS production "Voyage from Antiquity." Notable features he has edited include LIONS LOVE (1969), THE BLACK STALLION (1979), LATINO (1985), RAISING CAIN (1992), THE JOY LUCK CLUB (1993), RADIO INSIDE (1994), JUMANJI (1995), CONCEIVING ADA (1997), OCTOBER SKY (1999), JURASSIC PARK III (2001), HIDALGO (2003), THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO (2005), TOUCHING HOME (2007), and JURASSIC PARK IV (planned for 2008). He has also acted as an editorial consultant on such films as Wayne Wang's DIM SUM (1984) and John Korty's telefilm "The People" (1972) and was cinematographer for SEND WORD, BEAR MOTHER (2001). He directed THE BLACK STALLION RETURNS (1983) and episodes of the TV series "Crime Story" (1986).  Nominated for Film Editing 1979: THE BLACK STALLION 1 nomination