Tichenor grew up watching films with his father. He graduated from Philadelphia's Greene Street Friends School in 1982 and Central High School in 1986. Tichenor worked as Geraldine Peroni's assistant on several films, including The Player (1992). His first credit as an editor was for Altman's Jazz '34 (1996). He is one of the collaborators for Paul Thomas Anderson's films. In 2004, Tichenor stepped in to finish his mentor's editing of Brokeback Mountain. He was nominated for the Satellite Award for Boogie Nights (1997) and the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for There Will Be Blood. He is elected to membership in the American Cinema Editors.
