Life of an American Fireman is a 1903 film by Edwin S. Porter. Depicting the rescue of a woman from a burning building, it is one of the earliest American narrative films.

The film was long considered important for its unusual editing style, being considered the earliest example of cross-cutting, notably during the final scenes of the rescue of the woman and her child. On the basis of this, Porter was hailed as an innovative editor. However, research in the late fifties suggested that the version currently available was extensively re-edited at some unspecified time after its release, and that in its original form it used few, if any, of the pioneering edits claimed. As originally released, the interior point of view of the burning house is shown first and completed. Then the exact same action repeating itself is shown again from the exterior. This was confirmed in 1977 with the discovery of an original print, which can be viewed on youtube.