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 Gene Siskel (r.i.p.)
Gene Siskel with Team Hippo
Tribune - MOVIE CRITIC

 
   
Award-winning film columnist Gene Siskel (1946-1999) helped to shape movie criticism as we know it. As co-host of "Siskel & Ebert" for 23 years, Siskel and partner Roger Ebert influenced and entertained millions of people with their opinions and barbs on current films, becoming part of the American entertainment culture and making their trademark "thumbs up/thumbs down" a pop culture icon. 

Siskel was born and raised on Chicago's north side. He was a 1967 graduate of Yale University, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy. Siskel joined the Chicago Tribune in 1969, becoming the paper's film critic seven months later. He held this position for 19 years and later was named syndicated film columnist, writing reviews, critical essays, trend pieces and interviews. His weekly column was distributed nationally by Tribune Media Services and his annual "Beat Siskel" Oscar© contest was a worldwide favorite, thanks to the Internet. Siskel wrote the weekly "Siskel on Screen" column for TV Guide as well. 

He joined Ebert in 1975, creating the model for movie criticism on television. From the show's debut, Siskel was instrumental in expanding the series' concept, including special shows on topical industry issues. "Siskel & Ebert" has received six national Emmy Award nominations, as well as an Iris Award from the National Association of Television Programming Executives (NATPE). 

Siskel also was one of the first broadcasters initiated into NATPE's Hall of Fame. In 1993, Siskel and Ebert were honored by the Hollywood Radio and Television Society as Men of the Year. Locally, the tag-team of film criticism received a 1979 Chicago Emmy Award; in February of 1995 part of Chicago's downtown Erie Street was renamed Siskel & Ebert Way; and the pair was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame in 1997. 

Co-author of The Future of Movies (1991), he also was film critic for WBBM-TV (the CBS owned and operated station in Chicago) for more than two decades and film critic for the network morning program, "CBS This Morning." 

Siskel died on February 20, 1999, of complications following his May 1998 brain surgery.  

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