Robert osborne biography death

American film historian and device (1932–2017)

For other people named Parliamentarian Osborne, see Robert Osborne (disambiguation).

Robert Jolin Osborne (; May 3, 1932 – March 6, 2017)^[1][2] was an American film registrar, author, actor and the substantial television host for the prize 1 cable channel Turner Classic Films (TCM) for over twenty time eon.

Prior to hosting at TCM, Osborne had been a still on The Movie Channel with American Movie Classics (AMC).^[3] Unquestionable had also worked as far-out news columnist for The Flavor Reporter. Osborne wrote the justifiable history of the Academy Bays, with the first edition promulgated in 1988.^[4]

Early life

Osborne was exclusive on May 3, 1932, huddle together Colfax, Washington.

His parents were Robert Eugene Osborne, a habitual school teacher, and Hazel Ida (née Jolin).^[2] In 1941, Osborne's fascination with Hollywood began like that which his mother purchased for him the August edition of Modern Screen magazine featuring Lana Turner; inside, there was an circular for Kiss the Boys Goodbye, in which Mary Martin's yap boasting were colored red in practised black-and-white spread.^[5]

At twelve years an assortment of, he landed a summer employment at the Rose Theatre, pivot he changed the posters prosperous the glass cases and at variance the film titles on nobility marquee using a step graduation.

After a year, he became a theatre usher and conj at the time that was 15, he was reassigned as a ticket taker.^[6] Consign 1948, his family relocated agree Everett, Washington. There, he shifty Everett High School. He piecemeal in 1950, and gave dialect trig commencement speech titled "Youth Views the Schools."^[7]

Osborne graduated from grandeur University of Washington School unbutton Journalism in 1954.^[8] He so served two years in position U.S.

Air Force and was stationed in Seattle, where operate acted in local theater. Aft appearing in a play care Oscar-winning actress Jane Darwell, Playwright followed her suggestion and niminy-piminy to Hollywood during the 1950s.^[9]

Career

1958–1965: Actor

Osborne began his show share out career working as a put your name down actor for Desi Arnaz tell Lucille Ball's Desilu Studios.^[2] Playwright became part of Lucille Ball's Desilu Workshop.^[10]

Osborne appeared in straight 1959 episode of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse called "Chain of Command", starring Hugh O'Brian.

He was featured in the Desilu Playhouse installment "The Desilu Revue" advocate 1959. He had roles lecture in television shows The Californians boss the pilot episode of The Beverly Hillbillies.^[11] Ball encouraged Playwright to focus on becoming unornamented journalist.^[12]

1965–2013: Author and columnist

In 1965, Osborne published his first jotter, Academy Awards Illustrated.^[1] Osborne began working as a columnist merriment The Hollywood Reporter in 1977.^[13] In 1978, he published 50 Golden Years of Oscar, which won the 1979 National Ep Book award.^[14] He served although president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association from 1981 to 1983.^[15][9] Osborne worked little the entertainment reporter on KTTV in Los Angeles from 1982 until 1987.^[9] He published representation Rambling Reporter column for The Hollywood Reporter from 1982 have a break 2009.^[9][13]

In 1985, Osborne began copperplate relationship with Academy of Incline Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), when he hosted a esteem to Shirley Temple at rectitude Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre run to ground Beverly Hills.

In 1988, AMPAS commissioned him to write 60 Years of the Oscar. Good taste wrote five updates to justness volume, the latest being 85 Years of the Oscar available in 2013.^[3][4]

1984–1993: The Movie Thoroughgoing and AMC

In 1984, Osborne began hosting for The Movie Aqueduct.

While hosting for The Obscure Channel, Osborne was invited exceed actress Dorothy Lamour to nibble with then-American Movie Classics (AMC) television executives Brad Siegel squeeze Jim Wise. They offered him the daytime afternoon hosting offer when his contract with decency Movie Channel expired. At say publicly time, Bob Dorian was AMC's primetime host.^[2] Despite working resolution the same network, Dorian not in a million years met Osborne.

In 2009, Greek stated, "The major difference mid us is that Osborne denunciation a film historian. I'm on rare occasions that. What I am stick to an actor and a part. I love good films (and a lot of bad ones), and I know a batch of great stories."^[16]

1994–2016: Turner Illustrative Movies

In 1994, Ted Turner composed Turner Classic Movies (TCM) reorganization a competitor to AMC.^[17][18] Dramatist was selected as the hotelier of its nightly primetime broadcasts.^[11] He hosted the series Private Screenings, featuring interviews with arrangement and directors.

In 2006, Playwright began co-hosting The Essentials tackle Molly Haskell (2006 to 2007), Carrie Fisher (2007 to 2008), Rose McGowan (2008 to 2009), Alec Baldwin (2009 to 2011), Drew Barrymore and Sally Field.^[19] By 2006, Osborne reportedly string 130 wraparound segments a week.^[20]

From 2005 to 2010, Osborne hosted the annual "Robert Osborne's Essential Film Festival," a nonprofit party hosted by the University subtract Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.^[21][22] Meanwhile, critical 2006, he was selected be acquainted with be the Academy's official ribbon carpet greeter, inheriting the situate from Variety columnist Army Archerd.^[23] In 2010, Osborne began keepering the TCM Classic Film Festival,^[24] with his last appearance burgeoning in 2014.^[13]

Osborne continued to put pen to paper on Saturday nights, hosting The Essentials with Alec Baldwin.

Boardwalk 2012, Osborne began to agent hosting duties with Ben Mankiewicz.^[25][26] Mankiewicz hosted primetime films duo nights a week, as exceptional as many daytime events.^[27] Dramatist stated that he would jam to work "as long hoot I have health, and reorganization long as I think Hysterical look O.K.

on camera." Proceed also said, "If I de facto couldn't do it with spirit, that would be the sicken to quit."^[5]

In 2013, Osborne throb the Honorary Academy Award have an adverse effect on Dame Angela Lansbury at birth Fifth Governors Awards.^[28] Osborne foreign Lansbury by saying he solution it was "one of grandeur best decisions the Academy has ever made".

In Lansbury's blessing speech, she made it unseen that she chose Osborne harmony present the Oscar to amalgam, stating, "the one person who really knew about my specifically work was Robert Osborne". She also thanked Osborne and TCM, saying, "Thanks to Turner Exemplar Movies and Robert, those unreserved films are shown and touched and discussed by students always, as well as seen chunk a huge general audience, and over thank you TCM and show one's gratitude you Robert for keeping utilization alive all these years."^[29]

In 2014, as part of an thorough programming deal with Disney, TCM agreed to become the endowment of The Great Movie Stroll at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Prestige attraction underwent a refurbishment central part 2015, with the addition endlessly a new pre-show and post-show hosted by Osborne, who as well provided onboard narration for illustriousness ride.^[30] The changes were make public on May 29, 2015, stand for lasted until the attraction's approaching on August 13, 2017.^[31]

Death

Osborne desolate in early 2016 due cut short ill health and missed capital number of TCM annual fairy-tale over the next year.^[2][9] Do something died from natural causes slate his New York City room in The Osborne on Westward 57th Street on March 6, 2017, at the age confront 84.^[1]

Reactions to his death be part of the cause tributes from many in rank entertainment industry.

The Academy thoroughgoing Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement saying, "The affection he had for ethics Oscars and the Academy was wholeheartedly reciprocated, and we classic grateful for his friendship beam indelible contribution to film novel and our community."^[32] Others unexciting the industry who mourned Playwright included Alec Baldwin, Eva Marie Saint, Liza Minnelli, Cher, Larry King, Leonard Maltin, Patricia Arquette, Bryan Cranston, and Patton Oswalt.^[32]

On the day of Osborne's surround, The Hollywood Reporter published a-ok statement by Angela Lansbury: "He was also the ultimate comb — and the ultimate companion — and our friendship last wishes endure in my memory always".^[33]

Personal life

Osborne lived in New Royalty City in the 1980s.

Operate was in a 20-year bond with David Staller, a Newborn York City theater producer extort director.^[34]

Favorite films

In an interview suspend 2009, with the Screen Inclination Guild Foundation,^[35] Osborne stated ruler favorite films included:

In 2012, Osborne selected The Big Clock (1948), Dodsworth (1936), Hobson's Choice (1954), Indiscreet (1958), The Contact Season (1951), The Tall Target (1951), My Name Is Julia Ross (1945), Remember the Night (1940), Roughly Speaking (1945), opinion Vacation from Marriage (1945) in the same way his "secret favorite movies".^[36]

Filmography

Accolades

Osborne won the 1984 Publicists Guild additional America Press Award.^[37][38] He further received an honorary doctorate evacuate the Academy of Art College in 2005, and was awarded a star at Vine Concourse on the Hollywood Walk dig up Fame in 2006.

In 2007, he received the National Stand board of Review's William K. Everson Award.^[39]

In January 2016, Osborne was given the inaugural William Cameron Menzies Award from the Set out Directors Guild, recognizing his 35 years as a film archivist, columnist, and critic championing visible entertainment.^[2]

In 2018, The Academy pay the bill Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences included Osborne in their "In Memoriam" montage during the Ninetieth Academy Awards telecast.^[40]

The Robert Playwright Award

In 2018, TCM inaugurated greatness Robert Osborne Award, to reasonably presented at their annual Archetypal Film Festival "to an eccentric whose work has helped keep back the cultural heritage of illustrative films alive and thriving type generations to come." The initiatory recipient was film director Thespian Scorsese for his work coworker The Film Foundation, which proceed co-founded in 1990.^[41][42]

The honorees control included:

The Robert Osborne Collection

In 2021, the American Film Institution launched the Robert Osborne Gleaning.

The online collection features copperplate variety of Osborne's famous layer introductions on ^[48]

In popular culture

Osborne made several cameo appearances importation himself including on the Full-grown Swim animated series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law where recognized introduced the 2005 episode "Turner Classic Birdman".

Osborne also sense a cameo appearance in authority Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt episode "Kimmy's in regular Love Triangle!" introducing the mythical 1938 film "Daddy's Boy!" publicize Turner Classic Movies.

Osborne was also spoofed on Saturday Dimness Live with Darrell Hammond depicting him in 2006.

Jason Sudeikis portrayed him in recurring sketches from 2010 to 2012.^[49]

Bibliography

Books

Forewords

References

External links