Critics in History

Events in Film & TV

1880-08-26 Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet and art critic (coined the term 'Cubism'), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1918)
1907-03-08 Charles Boost, Dutch film critic, born in Breda, Netherlands (d. 1990)
1913-11-11 Peter Black, English TV critic, born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, England (d. 1995)
1918-10-07 Guido Aristarco, film critic
1919-06-19 Pauline Kael, movie critic (NY Times, For Keeps)
1922-05-22 Judith Crist, American film critic (TV Guide, Today), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2012)
1922-12-24 Jonas Mekas, American avant garde filmmaker and film critic, born in Semeniškiai, Lithuania (d. 2019)
1924-04-17 Donald Richie, American-born author and (Japanese) film critic, born in Lima, Ohio (d. 2013)
1924-07-27 Vincent Canby, American movie critic (NY Times), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2000)
1925-08-28 John Gillett, British film critic and researcher, born in London (d. 1995)
1926-06-28 Robert Shelton [Shapiro], music and film critic, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1995)
1926-07-17 Charles Champlin, American film critic and writer
1928-10-31 Andrew Sarris, American movie critic (Village Voice), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2012)
1933-08-21 Barry Norman, British film critic (Film Greats), born in London (d. 2017)
1938-10-02 Rex Reed, American movie critic and actor (Myra Breckinridge), born in Fort Worth, Texas
1939-09-29 Molly Haskell, American film critic, born in Charlotte, North Carolina

1942-06-18 Roger Ebert, American film critic (Pulitzer Prize 1975), born in Urbana, Illinois (d. 2013)
1943-07-07 Joel Siegel, American film critic (d. 2007)
1945-05-05 Kurtis "Kurt" Loder, American film critic, TV personality and columnist (Rolling Stone, New York, Time), born in Ocean City, New Jersey
1946-01-26 Gene Siskel, American movie critic (Siskel & Ebert), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1999)
1948-10-03 Michael Medved, American film critic
1948-11-03 Tom Shales, TV critic (Washington Post)
1950-12-18 Leonard Maltin, American movie critic (Entertainment Tonight), born in NYC, New York
1958-10-19 John Bloom [Joe Bob Briggs], drive-in movie critic
1959-10-17 Richard Roeper, American columnist and film critic, born in Chicago, Illinois
1963-07-02 Mark Kermode, British film critic
1982-04-29 Kamran Jawaid, Pakistani film critic

1990-01-01 Charles Boost, Dutch film critic, dies at 82
1993-07-30 Jay Scott [Jeffrey Scott Beaven], American-Canadian movie critic, dies at 43
1995-01-13 Maxwell Henley Harris, Australian poet and publisher (Critics), dies at 73
1995-01-25 Peter Black, English TV critic, dies at 82
1995-06-03 Dilys Powell, British film critic, dies at 93
1995-12-08 John Gillett, British film critic and researcher, dies at 70
1995-12-11 Robert Shelton [Shapiro], American born music and film critic, dies at 69
1996-09-11 Guido Aristarco, Italian film critic, dies at 77
1999-02-20 Gene Siskel, American film critic (b. 1946)
2000-09-15 Vincent Canby, American movie critic (NY Times), dies at 76
2001-09-03 Pauline Kael, American film critic (b. 1919)
2007-06-29 Joel Siegel, American film critic (b. 1943)
2010-03-25 Pål Bang-Hansen, Norwegian film critic and television personality (b. 1937)
2012-06-20 Andrew Sarris, American movie critic (Village Voice), dies at 83
2012-08-07 Judith Crist, American film critic (TV Guide, Today), dies at 90
2013-02-19 Donald Richie, American-born author and (Japanese) film critic, dies at 88
2013-04-04 Roger Ebert, American film critic (Pulitzer Prize 1975), dies of cancer at 70
2019-01-23 Jonas Mekas, American avant garde filmmaker and film critic, dies at 96