Ebert, Roger (1942-2013), was an American motion-picture critic, columnist, and screenwriter. In 1975, he became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Ebert became well known for co-hosting a long-running weekly movie review television show. He was a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death.
In 1976, with Chicago Tribune film critic Gene Siskel, Ebert began co-hosting “Opening Soon at a Theatre Near You,” later called “Sneak Previews,” a weekly film review TV show that was produced by a Chicago public broadcasting station. In 1982, the show became syndicated and was renamed “At the Movies.” In 1986, the show’s hosts created a new series called “Siskel & Ebert & the Movies” (later called “Siskel & Ebert”). On the show, the co-hosts would take turns discussing a current film, then each would rate the film with a “thumbs-up” for a recommended film, or a “thumbs-down” for a disliked film. Siskel died of complications from brain surgery in 1999. After a series of guest co-hosts, Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper became permanent co-host and the show was renamed “At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper” in 2000. The name was later shortened to “Ebert & Roeper.” Ebert suspended his appearances on the show in 2006 to be treated for thyroid cancer. “Ebert & Roeper” ran until 2008. “At the Movies” aired with other hosts from 2008 until 2010. From 2010 to 2011, Ebert hosted another weekly film review TV show, “Ebert Presents: At the Movies.”
Roger Joseph Ebert was born on June 18, 1942, in Urbana, Illinois. In 1964, he graduated from the University of Illinois, where he was editor of the college paper The Daily Illini.
Ebert wrote several screenplays, including Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), directed by Russ Meyer. He also wrote more than a dozen film-related books, as well as a novel, Behind the Phantom’s Mask (1993); a cookbook, The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker (2010); and a memoir, Life Itself (2011). He died on April 4, 2013.
