Hailing from New Zealand, Melanie Ann Oliver embarked on her film journey as an Assistant Editor, honing her skills under the guidance of acclaimed screenwriter/director Jane Campion on the influential films An Angel at My Table (1990) and The Portrait of a Lady (1996).

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Building on this early success, Melanie fearlessly delved into editing her own short films and soon caught the attention of Joe Wright, who entrusted her to edit Crocodile Snap (1997), a gripping BBC short film. This pivotal opportunity propelled her into the spotlight. The turning point arrived when Melanie joined forces with the visionary Tom Hooper, commencing their fruitful collaboration with the groundbreaking miniseries Elizabeth I (2005), which earned her an Emmy Award nomination. The momentum continued with Longford (2006), triumphantly clinching the BAFTA Award for Best Editing in Television Fiction. In 2008, their creative synergy flourished once more on John Adams, garnering Melanie nominations for an American Cinema Eddie Award and an Emmy.

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In 2011, Melanie's masterful editing of Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre solidified her reputation as an editor capable of consistently captivating audiences. Reuniting with Joe Wright in 2012 for Anna Karenina, starring the mesmerising Keira Knightley, Melanie's craftsmanship took center stage yet again. During the same remarkable year, she collaborated with Tom Hooper, editing his adaptation of Les Misérables, which garnered widespread acclaim and earned nominations for a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Editing, an Eddie Award for Best Edited Feature Comedy or Musical Film, and a Satellite Award for Best Editing.

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Melanie's editing prowess extended to a plethora of notable projects, including the powerful Pride (2014) directed by Matthew Warchus, the suspenseful Before I Go To Sleep (2014) helmed by Rowan Joffe and starring Nicole Kidman, the poignant The Danish Girl (2015) once again in collaboration with Tom Hooper and featuring the exceptional Alicia Vikander and Eddie Redmayne, the delightful Bridget Jones' Baby (2016) under the direction of Sharon McGuire, the majestic Victoria and Abdul (2017) directed by Stephen Frears and starring the incomparable Judi Dench, and the evocative Mary Magdelene (2018) directed by Garth Davis.

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Melanie continues to expand her career, with more recent credits including Judy (2019) for director Rupert Goold, Tom Hooper's whimsical adaptation of Cats (2020), and Matthew Warchus' Matilda the Musical (2023). Most recently, Melanie edited Thea Sharrock's Wicked Little Letters (2023), starring Olivia Colman.