Michael Daniel Jablow was born in 1946 in Washington, D. C. He attended Northwood High School in Maryland and completed his undergraduate studies at New York University and Goddard College, graduating from Goddard in 1972. He also studied film at the School of Visual Arts from 1971 to 1972, where he befriended future cinematographer Irv Goodnoff. When Goodnoff accepted a fellowship at the American Film Institute, Jablow accompanied him to Los Angeles where he worked in several capacities on a number of AFI projects, including Sam Grossman’s AT THE EDGE OF THE BED (1972). Another significant project was Marvin Kupfer’s thesis film WEDNESDAY (1974), a short starring Jack Lemmon, on which Jablow served as both co-editor and second assistant camera operator.

Jablow’s first feature length work was as an assistant camera operator on RATTLERS (1976), a horror film shot by Goodnoff. Lynzee Klingman then hired him to be her assistant editor on YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE (1977) and an associate editor on HAIR (1979), and the following year he was supervising assistant editor on BRUBAKER (1980). His first credit as an editor was for MODERN PROBLEMS (1981), and since then he has done editing work on over three dozen feature length films. His notable credits include THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN (1987), THE NAKED GUN FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD! (1988), THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992), LITTLE BIG LEAGUE (1994), CAN’T HARDLY WAIT (1998), THE CONTENDER (2000), OLD SCHOOL (2003), and BEAUTY SHOP (2005). He has also worked extensively in television, editing such television projects as CONSPIRACY: THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 8 (1987), FAMILY OF SPIES (1990), CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (1992), as well as episodes of GRACE AND FRANKIE. He was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for 61* (2001). From 2017 to 2021 he served as Head of Editing at the American Film Institute and has taught film courses at the University of Southern California.