Roger Ebert
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Roger Joseph Ebert

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Roger Ebert

Active - 1970 - 2016  |   Born - Jun 18, 1942 in Urbana, Illinois, United States  |   Died - Apr 4, 2013   |   Genres - Comedy, Historical Film, Adult

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Biography by AllMovie

The Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic for the Chicago Sun Times, Roger Ebert was best known for his long-time partnership with late critic Gene Siskel on their long-running TV show. He penned several books on cinema, including popular video guides. He also wrote a few screenplays for Russ Meyer, including the cult favorite Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

Movie Highlights

Burden
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
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Factsheet

  • Was co-editor of his high-school newspaper.
  • Joined the Chicago Sun-Times as a reporter in 1966 and started writing film reviews for the paper a year later.
  • Teamed with Chicago Tribune film critic Gene Siskel in 1975 for the weekly review program Sneak Previews, which aired on PBS for more than two decades.
  • Became, in 1975, the first recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for film criticism.
  • Wrote the screenplay for Russ Meyer's cult-classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls; used pseudonyms for writing Meyer's Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens and Up!
  • Founded the annual event Ebertfest, originally titled Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival, in 1999.
  • Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.
  • Had his right thumb trademarked.
  • Authored more than 20 books.
  • Continued to write film reviews after having survived thyroid and salivary-gland cancers and having part of his jaw bone removed; employs text-to-speech software that allows him to converse.