Journalist and motion picture critic. He joined the Chicago "Sun-Times" newspaper part-time in 1966 while pursuing graduate study at the University of Chicago and went on to become one of the most influential film critics in the nation. In 1969, he took a leave of absence from the newspaper to write the screenplay for 'Beyond the Valley of the Dolls' (1970), which went on to become somewhat of a cult classic. In the mid-1970s, he paired with Gene Siskel of the rival Chicago Tribune for a televised monthly PBS program called 'Opening Soon at a Theater Near You' which shortly thereafter became known as 'At the Movies'. The show made the two men household names when the show went national in 1978. They sparred on air and off but always as equals and not without respect. Ebert earned a Pulitzer Prize in 1975 for distinguished criticism and was the first, and one of only three, given to a film reviewer since the category was created in 1970. In 2005, he became the first critic to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ebert, who authored more than a dozen books, died at age 70 in 2013 after an eleven-year battle with cancer.
Journalist and motion picture critic. He joined the Chicago "Sun-Times" newspaper part-time in 1966 while pursuing graduate study at the University of Chicago and went on to become one of the most influential film critics in the nation. In 1969, he took a leave of absence from the newspaper to write the screenplay for 'Beyond the Valley of the Dolls' (1970), which went on to become somewhat of a cult classic. In the mid-1970s, he paired with Gene Siskel of the rival Chicago Tribune for a televised monthly PBS program called 'Opening Soon at a Theater Near You' which shortly thereafter became known as 'At the Movies'. The show made the two men household names when the show went national in 1978. They sparred on air and off but always as equals and not without respect. Ebert earned a Pulitzer Prize in 1975 for distinguished criticism and was the first, and one of only three, given to a film reviewer since the category was created in 1970. In 2005, he became the first critic to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ebert, who authored more than a dozen books, died at age 70 in 2013 after an eleven-year battle with cancer.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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