Gene Siskel

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Gene Siskel
Image:Gene Siskel at the 61st Academy Awards.jpg Siskel at the 61st Academy Awards
Gender	Male
Birth name	Eugene Kal Siskel
Born	January 26 1946(1946-01-26)
Birth place	Chicago, IL
Died	February 20 1999 (aged 53)
in	Evanston, IL
Circumstances
Occupation	Television Journalist/Film critic
Marital status	Married
Spouse	Marlene Iglitzen (1980–1999)
Children	Kate Callie Will
Religious belief(s)	Jewish
Notable credit(s)	Sneak Previews (1975–1982) At the Movies (1981–1986) Siskel & Ebert (1986–1999) CBS This Morning correspondent (1987–1992) Good Morning America correspondent (1996–1999)

Eugene "Gene" Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was one of the world's most famed film critics. Along with on-screen partner Roger Ebert, they pioneered the popular weekly movie review TV show Siskel & Ebert until Siskel's death at age 53.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Quotes 3 Trivia 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Biography

Born in Chicago, Siskel attended Culver Academies, graduated from Yale University in 1967 and began working for the Chicago Tribune in 1969. In 1975, Siskel teamed up with Roger Ebert, film reviewer for the Chicago Sun-Times, to host a show on the local Chicago PBS station WTTW which eventually became Sneak Previews. Their "thumbs-up, thumbs-down" system soon became an easily recognizable trademark, popular enough to be parodied on comedy shows such as In Living Color and in movies such as Hollywood Shuffle and Godzilla. Sneak Previews gained a nationwide audience in 1978 when it was carried on PBS.

Siskel and Ebert left WTTW and PBS in 1982 for syndication. Their new show, At the Movies was produced and distributed by Tribune Broadcasting, the parent company that owned the Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV. Sneak Previews continued on PBS a few more years with other hosts.

In 1986, Siskel and Ebert left Tribune Broadcasting to have their show produced by the syndication arm of The Walt Disney Company. The new incarnation of the show was originally titled Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, but later shortened to simply Siskel & Ebert. At the Movies also continued a few more years with other hosts.

In 1998, Siskel underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor. He announced on February 3, 1999 that he was taking a leave of absence but that he expected to be back by the fall, writing "I'm in a hurry to get well because I don't want Roger to get more screen time than I." The last film he reviewed was the Sarah Michelle Gellar romantic comedy Simply Irresistible.

He died from complications of the surgery two weeks later, at the age of 53. After Siskel's death, the producers of Siskel & Ebert hired other film critics and began using them on a rotating basis as an audition for a permanent successor. Ultimately, Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times colleague Richard Roeper was hired and the show was renamed Ebert & Roeper and the Movies.

"The Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago" which presents world-class independent, international, and classic cinema was renamed "The Gene Siskel Film Center" in honor of him in 2000.

Siskel championed the Film Center from its very inception, as did Ebert. When asked by a journalist to list his three favorite things about Chicago, Siskel named Michael Jordan, Mayor Daley, and the Film Center. Gene was a member of the Film Center's Advisory Committee and a strong supporter of the Film Center mission. Gene wrote hundreds of articles applauding the Film Center's distinctive programming and he lent the power of his position as one of the world's most respected film critics to urge public funding and audience support.

Siskel is survived by his wife, Marlene, and their children, Kate, Callie, and Will.

[edit] Quotes

• "I always ask myself, 'Is the movie that I am watching as interesting as a documentary of the same actors having lunch together?'"

—Oft-cited question used by Siskel as a yardstick by which one could gauge a movie's quality.

• "If this doesn’t turn out to be one of the very worst movies of the year, it’s going to be a very bad year."

—On the Sylvester Stallone comedy Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.

• "There won’t be a better film than this."

—Commenting on Fargo in March, 1996.

• "Your standards are dropping."

—To Roger Ebert during their review for Predator in June, 1987.

• "You're wrapping yourself in the flag of children."

—To Roger Ebert during their review for Benji the Hunted in June, 1987.

[edit] Trivia

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• Siskel's favorite film was Saturday Night Fever, which he claimed to have seen 17 times. He liked the movie so much, he bought the famous white disco suit (worn by John Travolta in the movie) at a charity auction. ^[1]

• Walked out on the 1996 Chris Farley film Black Sheep. It was the first time Siskel walked out on a film in 25 years. The first film he ever walked out on was the 1971 comedy The Million Dollar Duck staring Dean Jones.^[2]

• Siskel hated nothing more than to have a baby crying while trying to view a movie. He said he would pay any usher $10 to remove the baby and its parent from the theater.^{[citation needed]}

• Siskel was a die-hard Chicago sports fan, especially of the NBA's Bulls, and would cover locker-room celebrations for local Chicago TV news broadcasts following Bulls championships in the 1990s.^{[citation needed]}

• Gave The Silence of the Lambs and Unforgiven negative reviews. Both films went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.^[3][4]

• Siskel, along with colleague Roger Ebert, guest starred on an episode of the animated TV series The Critic. In the episode, Siskel and Ebert split and each wants Jay as his new partner.^[5]

• It was a known fact that Siskel was able to identify, while blindfolded, all six flavors of DOTS theater candy.

[edit] See also

• List of notable brain tumor patients

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Gene Siskel at NNDB
• Gene Siskel at the Internet Movie Database
• Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, named in memoriam
• Ebert & Roeper site: includes archive of Siskel & Ebert television programs
• Gene Siskel at Find A Grave