Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
name	Roger Ebert
birth name	Roger Joseph Ebert
birth date	June 18, 1942
birth place	Urbana, Illinois, U.S.
occupation	Author, journalist, film historian, film critic, screenwriter
nationality	American
education	Urbana High School,Illinois High School Association
alma mater	University of Chicago,University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,University of Colorado
language	English
home town	Chicago, Illinois
period	1967–present
subject	Film
notableworks	''The Great Movies''; ''The Great Movies II''; ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls''
spouse	Chaz Hammelsmith(July 18, 1992 – present)
influenced	A. O. ScottRichard CorlissJames BerardinelliMichael PhillipsWill LeitchHarry KnowlesDavid Bordwell
awards	Pulitzer Prize for film criticism
website	http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/
portaldisp	}}

Roger Joseph Ebert (; born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

Ebert is known for his film review column (appearing in the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' since 1967, and later online) and for the television programs ''Sneak Previews'', ''At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert'', and ''Siskel and Ebert and The Movies'', all of which he co-hosted for a combined 23 years with Gene Siskel. After Siskel's death in 1999, Ebert teamed with Richard Roeper for the television series ''Ebert & Roeper & the Movies'', which began airing in 2000. Although his name remained in the title, Ebert did not appear on the show after mid-2006, when he suffered post-surgical complications related to thyroid cancer which left him unable to speak. Ebert ended his association with the show in July 2008, but in February 2009 he stated that he and Roeper would continue their work on a new show. Ebert's current show, ''Ebert Presents at the Movies'', premiered on January 21, 2011, with Ebert contributing a review voiced by someone else in a brief segment called "Roger's Office".

Ebert's movie reviews are syndicated to more than 200 newspapers in the United States and worldwide by Universal Press Syndicate. He has written more than 15 books, including his annual movie yearbook which is predominantly a collection of his reviews of that year. In 1975, Ebert became the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize. His television programs have been widely syndicated and have been nominated for Emmy awards. In February 1995, a section of Chicago's Erie Street near the CBS Studios was renamed ''Siskel & Ebert Way''. In June 2005, Ebert was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was the first professional film critic to receive such an award. He has honorary degrees from the University of Colorado, the AFI Conservatory, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. ''Forbes'' has described him as "the most powerful pundit in America".

Since 1996, he has written a ''Great Movies'' series of individual reviews of what he deems to be the most important films of all time. This list and his associated reviews have now expanded to include over 300 movies. Since 1999, he has hosted the annual Roger Ebert's Film Festival in Champaign, Illinois.

Early life and education

Roger Joseph Ebert was born in Urbana, Illinois, the son of Walter H. Ebert, an electrician, and Annabel Ebert. His paternal grandparents were German immigrants and his maternal ancestry is Dutch and Irish. Ebert's interest in journalism began as a student at Urbana High School, where he was a sports writer for ''The News-Gazette'' in Champaign, Illinois; however, he began his writing career with letters of comment to the science fiction fanzines of the era. He became involved in science fiction fandom, writing articles for fanzines, including Richard A. Lupoff's ''Xero''. In his senior year he was co-editor of his high school newspaper, ''The Echo''. In 1958, Ebert won the Illinois High School Association state speech championship in Radio Speaking, an event that simulates radio newscasts.

Regarding his early influences in film critiquing, Ebert wrote in the 1998 parody collection ''Mad About the Movies'': :"I learned to be a movie critic by reading Mad magazine... Mad's parodies made me aware of the machine inside the skin—of the way a movie might look original on the outside, while inside it was just recycling the same old dumb formulas. I did not read the magazine, I plundered it for clues to the universe. Pauline Kael lost it at the movies; I lost it at Mad magazine."

After briefly attending the University of Chicago, Ebert received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was editor of ''The Daily Illini'' and member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. One of the first movie reviews he ever wrote was a review of ''La dolce vita'', published in ''The Daily Illini'' in October 1961. After Ebert wrote an article on the death of writer Brendan Behan for ''Chicago Daily News'' editor Herman Kogan, Ebert was given a job as a reporter and feature writer at the ''Sun-Times'' in 1966. After movie critic Eleanor Keane left the paper, editor Robert Zonk gave the job to Ebert.

Career

Ebert began his professional critic career in 1967, writing for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. That same year, Ebert's first book, a history of the University of Illinois titled ''Illini Century: One Hundred Years of Campus Life'' was published by the University's press.

In 1969, his review of ''Night of the Living Dead'' was published in ''Reader's Digest''.

Ebert co-wrote the screenplay for the 1970 Russ Meyer film ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' and likes to joke about being responsible for the film, which was poorly received on its release but is now regarded as a cult classic. Ebert and Meyer also made ''Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens'', ''Up!'', and others, and were involved in the ill-fated Sex Pistols movie ''Who Killed Bambi?'' In April 2010, Ebert posted his screenplay of "Who Killed Bambi?" aka "Anarchy in the UK" on his blog. Since the 1970s, Ebert has worked for the University of Chicago as a guest lecturer, teaching a night class on film. His fall 2005 class was on the works of the German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

In 1975, Ebert and Gene Siskel of the ''Chicago Tribune'' began co-hosting a weekly film review television show, ''Sneak Previews'', which was locally produced by the Chicago public broadcasting station WTTW. The show was picked up by PBS in 1978 for national distribution. In 1982, the critics moved to a syndicated commercial television show named ''At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert'', and in 1986 they left to create ''Siskel & Ebert & The Movies'' with Buena Vista Television (part of Disney). The duo was known for their "thumbs up/thumbs down" review summaries. When Siskel died in 1999, the producers retitled the show ''Roger Ebert & the Movies'' with rotating co-hosts. In September 2000, fellow ''Chicago Sun-Times'' columnist Richard Roeper became the permanent co-host and the show was renamed ''At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper''.

On January 31, 2009, Ebert was made an honorary life member of the Directors Guild of America during the group's annual awards ceremony.

Ebert ended his association with Disney in July 2008, after the studio indicated they wished to take ''At the Movies'' in a new direction. He and Gene Siskel's widow, Marlene Iglitzen Siskel, still own the trademark phrase "Two Thumbs Up." On February 18, 2009, Ebert reported that he and Roeper would soon announce a new movie review program. Ebert reiterated this plan after Disney announced the last episode of the program would air in August 2010.

Ebert stated in his August 18, 2010 "Answer Man" column that he was writing his memoirs.

Style of critique and personal tastes

Ebert has described his critical approach to films as "relative, not absolute"; he reviews a film for what he feels will be its prospective audience, yet always with at least some consideration as to its value as a whole. He awards four stars to films of the highest quality, and generally a half star to those of the lowest unless he considers the film to be "artistically inept" and/or "morally repugnant", in which case it will receive no stars.

Ebert has emphasized that his star ratings have little meaning if not considered in the context of the review itself. Occasionally (as in his review of ''Basic Instinct 2''), Ebert's star rating may seem at odds with his written opinion. Ebert has acknowledged such cases, stating, "I cannot recommend the movie, but ... why the hell can't I? Just because it's godawful? What kind of reason is that for staying away from a movie? Godawful and boring, ''that'' would be a reason." In August 2004 Stephen King, in a column, criticized what he saw as a growing trend of leniency towards films from critics including Ebert. His main criticism was that films, citing ''Spider-Man 2'' as an example, were constantly given four star ratings that they did not deserve. In his review of ''The Manson Family'', Ebert gave the film three stars for achieving what it set out to do, but admitted that didn't count as a recommendation ''per se''. He similarly gave the Adam Sandler-starring remake of ''The Longest Yard'' a positive rating of three stars, but in his review, which he wrote soon after attending the Cannes Film Festival, he recommended readers not see the film because they had access to more satisfying cinematic experiences. He also declined to give a star rating to ''The Human Centipede'', arguing that the rating system was "unsuited" to such a film: "Is the movie good? Is it bad? Does it matter? It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don't shine."

Ebert has reprinted his starred reviews in movie guides. In his appearances on ''The Howard Stern Show'', he was frequently challenged to defend his ratings. Ebert stood by his opinions with one notable exception—when Stern pointed out that Ebert had given ''The Godfather Part II'' a three-star rating in 1974, but had subsequently given ''The Godfather Part III'' three and a half stars. Ebert later added ''The Godfather Part II'' to his "Great Movies" list in October 2008 stating that his original review has often been cited as proof of his "worthlessness" but he still hasn't changed his mind and wouldn't change a word of his original review.

Ebert has occasionally accused some films of having an unwholesome political agenda, and the word "fascist" accompanied more than one of Ebert's reviews of the law-and-order films of the 1970s such as ''Dirty Harry''. He is also suspicious of films that are passed off as art, but which he sees as merely lurid and sensational. Ebert has leveled this charge against such films as ''The Night Porter.''

Ebert's reviews can clash with the overall reception of movies, as evidenced by his one-star review of the celebrated 1986 David Lynch film ''Blue Velvet'' ("marred by sophomoric satire and cheap shots... in a way, [director Lynch's] behavior is more sadistic than the Hopper character"). He was dismissive of the popular 1988 Bruce Willis action film ''Die Hard'' ("inappropriate and wrongheaded interruptions reveal the fragile nature of the plot"), while his positive review of 1997's ''Speed 2: Cruise Control'' ("Movies like this embrace goofiness with an almost sensual pleasure") is the only one accounting for that film's 2% approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes critical website.

Ebert often makes heavy use of mocking sarcasm, especially when reviewing movies he considers bad. At other times he is direct, famously in his review of the 1994 Rob Reiner comedy ''North'', which he concluded by writing that:

Ebert's reviews are also often characterized by dry wit. In January 2005, when Rob Schneider insulted ''Los Angeles Times'' movie critic Patrick Goldstein, who panned his movie ''Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo'', by commenting that the critic was unqualified because he had never won the Pulitzer Prize, Ebert intervened by stating that, as a Pulitzer winner, he was qualified to review the film, and bluntly told Schneider, "Your movie sucks." Ebert and Schneider would later mend fences regarding this. (''See "Personal life" below.'')

Ebert has been known to comment on films using his own Roman Catholic upbringing as a point of reference, and has been critical of films he believes are grossly ignorant of or insulting to Catholicism, such as ''Stigmata'' and ''Priest'', though he has given favorable reviews of controversial films with themes or references to Jesus and Catholicism, including ''The Passion of the Christ'', ''The Last Temptation of Christ'', and to Kevin Smith's religious satire ''Dogma''. However, Ebert identifies himself today as an agnostic.

He often includes personal anecdotes in his reviews when he considers them relevant. He has occasionally written reviews in the forms of stories, poems, songs, scripts, open letters, or imagined conversations. He has written many essays and articles exploring the field of film criticism in depth.

Ebert has been accused by some horror movie fans of bourgeois elitism in his dismissal of what he calls "Dead Teenager Movies". Ebert has clarified that he does not disparage horror movies as a whole, but that he draws a distinction between films like ''Nosferatu'' and ''The Silence of the Lambs'', which he regards as "masterpieces", and films which he feels consist of nothing more than groups of teenagers being killed off with the exception of one survivor to populate a sequel.

Ebert has indicated that his favorite film is ''Citizen Kane'', although he has expressed ambivalence in naming this film in answer to this question, preferring to emphasize it as "the most important" film. His favorite actor is Robert Mitchum, and his favorite actress is Ingrid Bergman. Ebert has emphasized his general distaste for "top ten" lists, and all movie lists in general, but due to his participation in the 2002 Sight and Sound Directors' poll, he has revealed his top-ten films (alphabetically): ''Aguirre, Wrath of God''; ''Apocalypse Now''; ''Citizen Kane''; ''Dekalog''; ''La dolce vita''; ''The General''; ''Raging Bull''; ''2001: A Space Odyssey''; ''Tokyo Story''; and ''Vertigo''.

Ebert has long been an admirer of director Werner Herzog, whom he supported through many years when Herzog's popularity had been eclipsed. He conducted an onstage public "conversation" with Herzog at the Telluride Film Festival in 2004, after a screening of Herzog's film ''Invincible'' at the Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival. Herzog dedicated his 2008 film ''Encounters at the End of the World'' to Ebert, and Ebert responded with a heartfelt public letter of gratitude.

In 2005, Ebert opined that video games are not art, and are inferior to media created through authorial control, such as film and literature, stating, "video games can be elegant, subtle, sophisticated, challenging and visually wonderful", but "the nature of the medium prevents it from moving beyond craftsmanship to the stature of art". This resulted in negative reaction from video game enthusiasts, such as writer Clive Barker, who defended video games as an art form, stating that they have the power to move people, that the views of book or film critics are less important than those of the consumers experiencing them, and that Ebert's were prejudiced. Ebert responded that the charge of prejudice was merely a euphemism for disagreement, that merely being moved by an experience does not denote it as artistic, and that critics are also consumers. Ebert later defended his position in April 2010, saying, "No video gamer now living will survive long enough to experience the medium as an art form." He also stated that he has never found a video game "worthy of (his) time", and thus has never played one. Cracked.com writer Robert Brockway responded by opining that this made Ebert unqualified to judge video games, and that debating Ebert on such a topic was comparable to "a structured philosophical debate on the importance of pacifism and restraint with a rabid badger: Your opponent is not only unqualified from the start, but it's obviously just out to attack you."

In a July 1, 2010, blog entry, Ebert maintained his skepticism that video games can ever be art in principle, but conceded that he should not have expressed this opinion without being more familiar with the actual experience of playing them. He reflected on the reaction to his blog entry, gamers' attempts to recommend to him games such as ''The Shadow of the Colossus'', and his reluctance to play games due to his lack of interest in the medium.

Views on the film industry

Ebert is an outspoken opponent of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system. He has repeatedly criticized their decisions regarding which movies are "suitable for children." For example, ''Whale Rider'' and ''School of Rock'' were both rated PG-13 (not recommended for children under the age of 13), while he thought both were inoffensive enough for schoolchildren and contained positive messages for that age group. In his review of ''The Exorcist'', Ebert said it was "stupefying" that the film received a rating of "R" from the MPAA instead of an "X" (suitable only for adults). He has frequently argued that the MPAA is more likely to give an "R" rating for mild sexual content than for highly violent content. In his review of ''The Passion of the Christ'', he was quoted as saying: "I said the film is the most violent I have ever seen. The MPAA's R rating is definitive proof that the organization either will never give the NC-17 rating for violence alone, or was intimidated by the subject matter. If it had been anyone other than Jesus up on that cross, I have a feeling that NC-17 would have been automatic."

He also frequently laments that cinemas outside major cities are "booked by computer from Hollywood with no regard for local tastes", making high-quality independent and foreign films virtually unavailable to most American moviegoers.

Ebert is a strong advocate for Maxivision 48, in which the movie projector runs at 48 frames per second, as compared to the usual 24 frames per second. He is opposed to the practice whereby theatres lower the intensity of their projector bulbs in order to extend the life of the bulb, arguing that this has little effect other than to make the film harder to see. Ebert has been skeptical of the recent resurgence of 3D effects in film, which he has found unrealistic and distracting.

Film and TV appearances

Ebert is one of the principal critics featured in Gerald Peary's 2009 documentary film ''For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism''. He is shown discussing the dynamics of appearing with Gene Siskel on the 1970s show ''Coming to a Theatre Near You'', which was the predecessor of ''Sneak Previews'' on Chicago PBS station WTTW. He also expresses his approval of the proliferation of young people writing film reviews today on the Internet.

Ebert has provided DVD audio commentaries for several films, including ''Citizen Kane'', ''Casablanca'', ''Dark City'', ''Floating Weeds'', ''Crumb'', and ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' (for which Ebert also wrote the screenplay, based on a story that he co-wrote with Russ Meyer). Ebert was also interviewed by Central Park Media for an extra feature on the DVD release of the anime film ''Grave of the Fireflies''.

On the day of the Academy Awards, Ebert and Roeper typically appear on the live pre-awards show, ''An Evening at the Academy Awards: The Arrivals''. This airs prior to the awards ceremony show, which also features red carpet interviews and fashion commentary. They also appear on the post-awards show entitled ''An Evening at the Academy Awards: The Winners''. Both shows are produced and aired by the American Broadcasting Company-owned Los Angeles station KABC-TV. This show also airs on WLS-TV as well as the network's other owned stations along with being syndicated to several ABC affiliates and other broadcasters outside the country. Ebert did not appear on the 2007 show for medical reasons.

In 1995, Ebert, along with colleague Gene Siskel, 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. The episode is a parody of the film ''Sleepless in Seattle''.

In 1996, Ebert appeared in "Pitch", a documentary by Canadian film makers Spencer Rice and Kenny Hotz.

In 2003, Ebert had a cameo appearance in the film ''Abby Singer'', in which he recited the white parasol monologue from ''Citizen Kane''.

Roger Ebert founded his own film festival, Ebertfest, in his home town of Champaign, Illinois and is also a regular fixture at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

On May 4, 2010, Ebert was announced by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences as the Webby Person of the Year having taken to the Internet following his battle with cancer.

On October 22, 2010, Ebert appeared on camera with Robert Osborne on the Turner Classic Movies network during the network's "The Essentials" series. Ebert chose the film ''Sweet Smell of Success'' to be shown.

Personal life

Ebert is married to trial attorney Charlie "Chaz" Hammel-Smith. Chaz Ebert is now vice president of the Ebert Company and has emceed Ebertfest.

Roger Ebert suffered from alcoholism and quit drinking in 1979. He is a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and has written some blog entries on the subject. He has been friends with, and at one time dated, Oprah Winfrey, who credits him with encouraging her to go into syndication. He is also good friends with film historian and critic Leonard Maltin and considers the book ''Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide'' to be the standard of film guide books.

A supporter of the Democratic Party, Ebert publicly urged liberal filmmaker Michael Moore to give a politically charged acceptance speech at the Academy Awards: "I'd like to see Michael Moore get up there and let 'em have it with both barrels and really let loose and give them a real rabble-rousing speech." During a 2004 visit to ''The Howard Stern Show'', Ebert predicted that the then-junior Illinois senator Barack Obama would be very important to the future of the country. During a 1996 panel at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Conference on World Affairs, Ebert coined The Boulder Pledge, by which he vowed never to purchase anything offered through the result of an unsolicited email message, or to forward chain emails or mass emails to others.

He is critical of the Intelligent Design movement. He has also stated that people who believe in either creationism or new age beliefs such as crystal healing or astrology are not qualified to be President. Regarding his belief system, he doesn't "want to provide a category for people to apply to me" because he "would not want my convictions reduced to a word" and states, "I have never said, although readers have freely informed me I am an atheist, an agnostic, or at the very least a secular humanist—which I am".

On April 25, 2011, he achieved one of his long-time goals: winning one of the weekly caption contests in ''The New Yorker'' magazine after more than 100 attempts.

Battle with thyroid cancer

In early 2002, Ebert was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. In February of that year, surgeons at Northwestern Memorial Hospital were able to successfully remove the cancer with clean margins. He later underwent surgery in 2003 for cancer in his salivary gland, and in December of that year, underwent a four-week follow-up course of radiation to his salivary glands, which altered his voice slightly. As he battled the illness, Ebert continued to be a dedicated critic of film, not missing a single opening while undergoing treatment.

Ebert underwent further surgery on June 16, 2006, just two days before his 64th birthday, to remove additional cancerous tissue near his right jaw, which included removing a section of jaw bone. On July 1, Ebert was hospitalized in serious condition after his carotid artery burst near the surgery site and he "came within a breath of death". He later learned that the burst was likely a side effect of his treatment, which involved neutron beam radiation. He was subsequently kept bedridden to prevent further damage to the scarred vessels in his neck while he slowly recovered from multiple surgeries and the rigorous treatment. At one point, his status was so precarious that Ebert had a tracheostomy performed on his neck to reduce the effort of breathing while he recovered.

Ebert had pre-taped enough TV programs with his co-host Richard Roeper to keep him on the air for a few weeks; however, his extended convalescence necessitated a series of "guest critics" to co-host with Roeper: Jay Leno (a good friend to both Ebert and Roeper), Kevin Smith, John Ridley, Toni Senecal, Christy Lemire, Michael Phillips, Aisha Tyler, Fred Willard, Anne Thompson, A.O. Scott, Mario Van Peebles, George Pennacchio, Brad Silberling, and John Mellencamp. Michael Phillips later became Ebert's replacement for the remainder of Roeper's time on ''At the Movies'', until mid-2008, when Roeper did not extend his contract with ABC.

In October 2006, Ebert confirmed his bleeding problems had been resolved. He was undergoing rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago due to lost muscle mass, and later underwent further rehabilitation at the Pritikin Center in Florida." In May 2007, Ebert blogged that he had received a bouquet of flowers from actor Rob Schneider, with a note signed, "Your Least Favorite Movie Star, Rob Schneider". Ebert took this as a kind gesture despite his negative review of Schneider's ''Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo''. Ebert described the flowers as "a reminder, if I needed one, that although Rob Schneider might (in my opinion) have made a bad movie, he is not a bad man, and no doubt tried to make a wonderful movie, and hopes to again. I hope so, too."

After a three-month absence, the first movie he reviewed was ''The Queen''. Ebert made his first public appearance since the summer of 2006 at Ebertfest on April 25, 2007. He was unable to speak but communicated through his wife, Chaz, through the use of written notes. His opening words to the crowd of devout fans at the festival were a quote from the film he co-wrote with Russ Meyer, ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'': "It's my happening and it freaks me out." Also in April 2007, in an interview with WLS-TV in Chicago, he said, "I was told photos of me in this condition would attract the gossip papers — so what?" On April 23, the ''Sun-Times'' reported that, when asked about his decision to return to the limelight, Ebert remarked, "We spend too much time hiding illness." Fans at his website have remarked his public appearances have been inspirational to cancer victims and survivors around the country.

On the road to recovery

Ebert returned to reviewing on May 18, 2007, when three of his reviews were published by the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', and he returned to his website, a role that his editor had shouldered during the critic's illness. Thereafter, he slowly worked back to his previous output of 5–6 reviews a week plus a "Great Movies" review. He also resumed his "Answer Man" column. In a July 21, 2007 commentary on a rebuttal to Clive Barker, he revealed that he had lost the ability to speak, but not to write. He also lost the ability to eat or drink, and uses a feeding tube. He posted reviews of the 2006 film ''Casino Royale'' and the 2007 films ''Zodiac'' and ''Ratatouille'' with a note that he was in the process of going back and reviewing some of the movies that were released during his absence. He attended the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, while awaiting surgery that was hoped to restore his voice. Ebert adopted a computerized voice system to communicate. He initially chose to use a voice with a British accent that he named "Lawrence", but then switched to a high quality voice with an American accent included with Mac OS X named "Alex". According to Ebert, he does not miss the activity of eating or drinking so much as the camaraderie of dining with friends.

Ebert underwent further surgery on January 24, 2008, this time in Houston, to address the complications from his previous surgeries. A statement from Ebert and his wife indicated that "the surgery went well, and the Eberts look forward to giving you more good news..." but on April 1, his 41st anniversary as a film critic at the ''Sun-Times'', Ebert announced that there had been further complications and his speech had not been restored. He wrote, "I am still cancer-free, and not ready to think about more surgery at this time. I should be content with the abundance I have." His columns resumed shortly after the April 23 opening of his annual film festival at the University of Illinois. During his various surgeries, doctors carved bone, tissue and skin from his back, arm, and legs, and transplanted them in an attempt to reconstruct his jaw and throat, though these transplants would each be unsuccessful, and eventually removed. As a result of these procedures, his right shoulder is visibly smaller than his left, and his legs have been scarred and weakened. On April 18, 2008, it was announced that Ebert had fractured his hip in a fall, a result of the weakening of his body following the unsuccessful tissue transplants, and had undergone surgery to repair it.

Current health

, Ebert has a full-time, live-in nurse attend to him when needed. Although doctors have asked him to allow them to make one more attempt to restore his voice, Ebert has refused, indicating that he is done with surgery, and will likely decline significant intervention even if his cancer returns, as he feels that the last procedure he underwent did more harm than good. Regarding his death one day, he has written in a journal entry titled, "Go Gently into That Good Night":

Ebert employed a Scottish company called CereProc, which custom-tailors text-to-speech software for voiceless customers who record their voices at length before losing them, and mined tapes and DVD commentaries featuring Ebert to create a voice that sounds more like his own voice. He used the voice they devised for him in his March 2, 2010 appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', in which he discussed his methods of coping with the loss of his voice and his other post-surgical difficulties. By January 2011, Ebert had been given a prosthesis for his chin created by University of Illinois craniofacial doctors and other specialists. The prosthesis, which took two years to fabricate, is worn by Ebert on ''Ebert Presents at the Movies'', in a medium shot of him that is used for the "Roger's Office" segment.

Bibliography

Each year since 1999, except in 2008, Ebert has published ''Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook'', a collection of all of his movie reviews from the previous two and a half years (for example, the 2011 edition, ISBN 978-0-7407-9769-9, covers January 2008 – July 2010), as well as essays and other writings. He has also written the following books:

''Scorsese by Ebert'' (ISBN 978-0-226-18202-5) (Excerpted Introduction)

''Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert'' (ISBN 0-226-18200-2) – a collection of essays from his 40 years as a film critic, featuring interviews, profiles, essays, his initial reviews upon a film's release, as well as critical exchanges between the film critics Richard Corliss and Andrew Sarris

''Ebert's "Bigger" Little Movie Glossary'' (ISBN 0-8362-8289-2) – a book of movie clichés

''The Great Movies'' (ISBN 0-7679-1038-9), ''The Great Movies II'' (ISBN 0-7679-1950-5), and ''The Great Movies III'' (ISBN 9780226182087) – three books of essays about great films

''I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie'' (ISBN 0-7407-0672-1) – a collection of reviews of films that received two stars or fewer. (Title comes from his review of ''North''.)

''Roger Ebert's Book of Film'' (ISBN 0-393-04000-3) – a ''Norton Anthology'' of a century of writing about the movies

''Questions For The Movie Answer Man'' (ISBN 0-8362-2894-4) – his responses to questions sent from his readers

''Behind the Phantom's Mask'' (ISBN 0-8362-8021-0) – his first attempt at fiction.

''The Perfect London Walk'' (ISBN 0-8362-7929-8) – a tour of Ebert's favorite foreign city

''Your Movie Sucks'' (ISBN 0-7407-6366-0) – a new collection of less-than-two-star reviews. (Title comes from his review of ''Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo''.)

''Roger Ebert's Four-Star Reviews 1967–2007'' (ISBN 0-7407-7179-5)

''An Illini Century: One Hundred Years of Campus Life'' (no ISBN) – the history of the first 100 years of the University of Illinois, edited by Ebert in 1967

References

External links

Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival

Archive of American Television interview

Siskel & Ebert's classic shows (1975–1999)

Speech: Remaking My Voice (2011)

Category:1942 births Category:American agnostics Category:American humanists Category:American skeptics Category:Former Roman Catholics Category:American film critics Category:American television personalities Category:Film historians Category:Film theorists Category:Cancer survivors Category:American writers of German descent Category:Illinois Democrats Category:Living people Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:People from Urbana, Illinois Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:Pulitzer Prize for Criticism winners Category:Science fiction fans Category:University of Cape Town alumni Category:University of Chicago faculty Category:University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign alumni

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Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
name	Leonard Maltin
birth date	December 18, 1950
birth place	NY, NY, U.S.
nationality	American
education	Teaneck High School
alma mater	New York University
religion	Jewish
occupation	Film critic, film historian, animation historian, Food critic
years active	1965–2009
website	http://www.leonardmaltin.com
spouse	Alice Tlusty (1975-present)(1 child) }}

Leonard Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film and animated-film critic and historian. He has written several main-stream books on the cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.

Personal life

Maltin was born in New York City, the son of Jacqueline (née Gould), a singer, and Aaron Isaac Maltin, a lawyer and immigration judge. He is married to Alice Tlusty, a researcher and producer. He has one daughter Jessie, born in 1986 who works with him. Maltin is Jewish. He grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, and graduated from Teaneck High School. He is a good friend of film critic Roger Ebert.

Career

Maltin began his writing career at age fifteen, writing for ''Classic Images'' and editing and publishing his own fanzine, ''Film Fan Monthly'', dedicated to films from the golden age of Hollywood. After receiving a journalism degree at New York University, Maltin went on to publish articles in a variety of film journals, national news-papers, and magazines, including ''Variety'' and ''TV Guide''.

As an author, Maltin is best known for ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', (some editions titled as his ''...Movie and Video Guide''), a compendium of synopses and reviews that first appeared in September 1969 and has been annually updated since October 1987. (It was published under the title ''TV Movies'' until the 1990s, and in 2005 spawned a spin-off, ''Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide'', limited to films released in 1960 and earlier to allow the regular book to cover a larger number of more recent titles.) He has also written several other works, including ''Behind the Camera'', a study of the art of cinematography, ''The Whole Film Sourcebook'', ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia'', ''Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals'', and ''Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons.''

Since May 29, 1982, Maltin has been the movie reviewer on the syndicated television series ''Entertainment Tonight''. He also appears on the Starz cable network, and hosted his own syndicated radio program, ''Leonard Maltin on Video'', as well as the syndicated TV show ''Hot Ticket'' with Boston film critic Joyce Kulhawik (originally ''E!'' personality and game show host Todd Newton). He currently hosts a television show entitled ''Secret's Out'' on ReelzChannel movie network. He also spearheaded the creation of the ''Walt Disney Treasures'' collectible DVD line in 2001, and continues to provide creative input and host the various sets.

He appeared on ''Pyramid'' twice as a celebrity player, in 1987 on the CBS $25,000 version and in 1991 on the John Davidson version. He appeared on ''Super Password'' as a celebrity guest in 1988.

In the mid-1990s, he became the president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and is on the Advisory Board of the Hollywood Entertainment Museum. For nearly a decade, Maltin was also on the faculty of the New School for Social Research in New York City. He currently teaches in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.

In 1998, Maltin settled a libel suit brought by former child star Billy Gray, of ''Father Knows Best'' fame, whom Maltin identified as a drug addict and dealer in his review of the film ''Dusty and Sweets McGee'' for the movie guide book. The statement appeared in print for nearly twenty-five years before Maltin publicly apologized for the error.

He currently hosts "The Maltin Minute" for DirecTV customers. Maltin also teaches at the University of Southern California.

Popular culture appearances

Maltin was portrayed in an episode of the animated comedy ''South Park'' called "Mecha-Streisand" where Maltin, along with actor Sidney Poitier and singer Robert Smith, fight and defeat Barbra Streisand, who has assumed the form of Mecha-Streisand, a giant, Godzilla-like robot version of herself. His own gigantic form was reminiscent of Ultraman with his initials on his chest.

He also appeared as himself in ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch''. In a short segment, he gives a bad review of the first film (''Gremlins'') as several of the creatures creep up on him and strangle him to death (in his guide, Maltin's three-star review of the movie noted that it contained "gratuitous cameo appearances"). He also made an appearance on the cartoon show ''Freakazoid!'' where he voiced himself, only to be abducted by monsters. And while he's been a "talking head" in countless documentaries, he also appeared as himself in a faux documentary, Peter Jackson's "Forgotten Silver."

Maltin had starred on an episode of ''Entertainment Tonight'', where he was presenting a time machine akin to one in the film ''The Time Machine''. He sits in the machine and then vanishes, as does the character in the film.

Maltin is one of the few people to appear as a "guest star" on ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''; during a Season Nine episode, he was forced by Pearl Forrester to retract his endorsement of the film ''Gorgo''. In an earlier episode featuring ''The Undead'', Mike Nelson impersonates Maltin and apologizes to viewers for his good review, saying he must have been on drugs. Upon this admission, he was awarded the goatee of the millennium award. Additionally, his rating of two-and-a-half stars to the film ''Laserblast'' is ridiculed in the episode featuring that film.

In ''The Simpsons'' episode "A Star Is Burns", Marge says "Did you know there are over 600 critics on TV and Leonard Maltin is the best looking of them all?". Lisa replies "Ewwww!" In the 1995 video release of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, there was an interview with George Lucas conducted by Maltin included before the start of the movies.

Maltin is listed in the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' for the world's shortest movie review; his two-star review of the 1948 musical ''Isn't It Romantic?'' consists of the word "No". In 1985 he delivered a three-word movie review on ''Entertainment Tonight'' for that year's horror film spoof, ''Transylvania 6-5000''. The review begins with a silent Maltin swaying to a recording of the Glenn Miller Orchestra playing "Pennsylvania 6-5000"; in the song the instrumental melody is interrupted by the sound of a telephone ringing after which the band chants the title of the song. In his review, Maltin timed it so that his review began with the phone ringing: "''Transylvania 6-5000'' ... stinks!" In 2004 he delivered a five-word review for ''Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed''. His two star review consisted of the statement "It is what it is."

Maltin also selected and hosted a compilation of National Film Board of Canada animated shorts, ''Leonard Maltin's Animation Favorites from the National Film Board of Canada''.

Comedian Doug Benson's podcast "Doug Loves Movies" features a segment called The Leonard Maltin game, in which the guest must guess the name of a movie based on the cast list in reverse order. A few intentionally vague clues from the capsule review of the movie in Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide are also provided. Leonard Maltin appeared on the podcast in February 2010 and played the game himself. He appeared on the show again in August 2010. In November 2010 Benson and Maltin played the game on the Kevin Pollak Chat Show.

Bibliography

As author

''Movie Comedy Teams'' (NAL, 1970; revised editions, 1974, 1985)

''Behind the Camera'' (NAL, 1971), reissued as ''The Art of the Cinematographer'' (Dover, 1978)

''The Great Movie Shorts'' (Crown, 1972), reissued as ''Selected Short Subjects'' (Da Capo, 1983)

''The Disney Films'' (Crown, 1973; revised edition, 1985; 3rd edition, 1995 from Hyperion; 4th ed., 2000, Disney Editions)

''Carole Lombard'' (Pyramid, 1976)

''Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals'' (Crown, 1977; coauthor with Richard W. Bann; revised and reissued as ''The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang, 1992)

''The Great Movie Comedians'' (Crown, 1978)

''Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons'' (NAL and McGraw Hill, 1980; revised edition, November 1987)

''The Complete Guide to Home Video'' (Crown, 1981; coauthor)

''The Great American Broadcast: A Celebration of Radio's Golden Age'' (E.P. Dutton, 1997)

''Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy'' (M Press, 2008)

''Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen'' (HarperStudio, 2010)

As editor

''Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'' (originally published as ''TV Movies'', then ''Leonard Maltin’s Movie & Video Guide'') (NAL, 1969, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, published annually since 1988). Also published in Dutch edition as ''Speelfilm Encyclopedie'', and Swedish version as ''Bonniers Stora Film & Video Guide''.

''The Real Stars'' (Curtis, 1973)

''The Real Stars #2'' (Curtis, 1974)

''The Laurel & Hardy Book'' (Curtis, 1973)

''Hollywood: The Movie Factory'' (Popular Library, 1976)

''Hollywood Kids'' (Popular Library, 1978)

''The Real Stars #3'' (Curtis, 1979)

''The Whole Film Sourcebook'' (NAL and Universe Books, 1983)

''Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia'' (Dutton/Penguin, 1994)

''Leonard Maltin's Family Movie Guide'' (Dutton/Signet, 1999)

See also

Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide

References

External links

Leonard Maltin's official site

Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy at indieWIRE

Leonard Maltin's bio courtesy of ''ET'' Online

Leonard Maltin at TV Guide

Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:American film critics Category:American infotainers Category:Animation historians Category:Film historians Category:Film theorists Category:Jewish American writers Category:People from New York City Category:People from Teaneck, New Jersey Category:University of Southern California faculty Category:American Jews

de:Leonard Maltin es:Leonard Maltin fr:Leonard Maltin it:Leonard Maltin nl:Leonard Maltin pt:Leonard Maltin ro:Leonard Maltin ru:Малтин, Леонард sv:Leonard Maltin

Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
name	Gene Siskel
birthname	Eugene Kal Siskel
birth date	January 26, 1946
birth place	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
death date	February 20, 1999
death place	Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
years active	1969–1999
occupation	Television journalist, film critic
religion	Jewish
spouse	Marlene Iglitzen (1980–1999)
children	KateCallieWill
credits	''Opening Soon at a Theater Near You'' (1975–1977)''Sneak Previews'' (1977–1982)''At the Movies'' (1982–1986)''Siskel & Ebert'' (1986–1999)''CBS This Morning'' correspondent (1987–1992)''Good Morning America'' correspondent (1996–1999)
influenced	}}

Eugene Kal "Gene" Siskel (January 26, 1946 February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted the popular review show ''Siskel & Ebert At the Movies'' from 1975 until his death.

Early life and career

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Siskel was raised by his aunt and uncle after both his parents died when he was ten years old He attended Culver Academies, graduated in Philosophy at Yale University in 1967, where he studied writing under Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey, who helped him land a job at 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'', cartoon strips like ''Calvin and Hobbes'' (April, 1988) and in movies such as ''Hollywood Shuffle'' and ''Godzilla''. ''Sneak Previews'' gained a country-wide 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 for 14 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 ''Siskel & Ebert''. ''At the Movies'' also continued a few more years with other hosts.

A very early appearance of Siskel, taken from the 1970s program ''Coming to a Theatre Near You'', is included in ''For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism''. In this 2009 documentary film he is seen debating with Ebert over the merits of the film version of ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''.

Normally, Siskel and Roger Ebert would refuse to guest star in movies or televisual series (except for talk shows) as they felt it would undermine their responsibility to the public. However, they both "could not resist" appearing on an episode of the animated television series ''The Critic'', the title character of which was a television film critic. In the episode, Siskel and Ebert split and each wants Jay Sherman, the titular critic, as his new partner. They also once appeared in an episode of ''Sesame Street''. Siskel also appeared as himself on an episode of ''The Larry Sanders Show''.

Death

In 1998, Siskel underwent surgery for a cancerous brain tumor. He announced on Wednesday, 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 me".

On Saturday, February 20, 1999, Siskel died from complications of another surgery 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 at the Movies''. The last film Siskel reviewed on television with co-host Ebert was ''The Theory of Flight'' on Saturday, January 23, 1999. The final film that he reviewed in print was the Sarah Michelle Gellar romantic comedy ''Simply Irresistible''. He gave it a thumbs-down.

Siskel was survived by his wife, Marlene, and their children, Kate, Callie, and Will and is interred at Westlawn Cemetery.

Legacy

At the 1999 Academy Awards ceremony, after its In Memoriam montage of deceased stars and film contributors (which did not include Siskel as he was not an Academy member), host Whoopi Goldberg gave a brief, impromptu tribute to Siskel which included the traditional "thumbs-up" gesture, to great audience applause.

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.

When asked by a journalist to list his three favorite things about Chicago, Siskel named Michael Jordan, Mayor Daley, and the Film Center. Siskel was a member of the Film Center's Advisory Committee and a strong supporter of the Film Center mission. He wrote hundreds of articles applauding the Film Center's distinctive programming and he lent the power of his position as a well-known film critic to urge public funding and audience support. His favorite movies of all time were ''Saturday Night Fever'' (he even bought the famous white disco suit from it at a charity auction) and ''Dr. Strangelove''. Another favorite from childhood was ''Dumbo'', which he often mentioned as the first movie that made a mark on him.

He only walked out on three films during his professional career: the 1971 comedy ''The Million Dollar Duck'' starring Dean Jones; the 1980 horror film ''Maniac''; and the 1996 Penelope Spheeris film ''Black Sheep''. Only once during his long association with Ebert did Siskel ever change his vote on a movie. The film ''Broken Arrow'' had initially been given a "thumbs up," but after hearing Ebert's criticism, Siskel changed his mind to "thumbs down" to make it unanimous.

Siskel was also a die-hard Chicago sports fan, especially of the NBA's Bulls, and would cover locker-room celebrations for WBBM-TV news broadcasts following Bulls championships in the 1990s.

Ebert once said of his relationship with Gene Siskel: :"Gene Siskel and I were like tuning forks. Strike one, and the other would pick up the same frequency. When we were in a group together, we were always intensely aware of one another. Sometimes this took the form of camaraderie, sometimes shared opinions, sometimes hostility."

When both men appeared together on ''The Tonight Show'', Johnny Carson conducted a "together and separately" interview with them, which at one point had each man wear Walkman-style headphones, playing loud music, while the other commented on his partner. When asked what he thought was the biggest difference between himself and Ebert, Siskel unhesitatingly replied: "I'm a better reviewer than he is." But a few moments later, he said that anyone who read a Roger Ebert review would read "an extremely well written review."

See also

List of notable brain tumor patients

References

External links

Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, named in memoriam

At the Movies site: includes archive of Siskel & Ebert television programs

FBI file on Gene Siskel

Gene Siskel: The Balcony is Closed Article on Legacy.com

Gene Siskel's Top Ten List By Year (1969–1998)

Siskel & Ebert's classic shows (1975–1999)

Category:1946 births Category:1999 deaths Category:American film critics Category:American Jews Category:American television personalities Category:Cancer deaths in Illinois Category:Chicago Tribune people Category:Deaths from brain cancer Category:Jewish American writers Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Yale University alumni

de:Gene Siskel fr:Gene Siskel nl:Gene Siskel pt:Gene Siskel

Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
name	Conan O'Brien
birth name	Conan Christopher O'Brien
alias	Coco
birth date	April 18, 1963
birth place	Brookline, Massachusetts, United States
medium	Television
nationality	American
active	1985–present
genre	Improvisational comedy, sketch comedy, physical comedy, surreal humor, self-deprecation
subjects	Self-deprecation, pop culture
influences	Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Robert Smigel
spouse	Elizabeth Ann Powel (since 2002; 2 children)
notable work	''The Simpsons''(writer, producer, 1991–1993)''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''(host, 1993–2009)''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien''(host, 2009–2010) ''Conan'' (host, 2010–present)
education	Harvard University
signature	Conan O'Brien Signature.svg

}} Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted ''Conan'', a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS.

O'Brien was born in Brookline, Massachusetts and raised in an Irish Catholic family. He served as president of the ''Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, and was a writer for the sketch comedy series ''Not Necessarily the News''. After writing for several comedy shows in Los Angeles, he joined the writing staff of ''Saturday Night Live'', and later of ''The Simpsons''. He hosted ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' from 1993 to 2009, followed by seven months hosting ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'', the only person to serve as host for both NBC programs.

Early life

O'Brien was born in Brookline, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston) to Thomas O'Brien, a physician, epidemiologist, and professor of medicine at Harvard, and Ruth O'Brien (née Reardon), an attorney and partner at the Boston firm Ropes & Gray. He is the third of six children. O'Brien's family is Irish Catholic and descends from pre-Civil War era immigrants. In a ''Late Night'' episode, O'Brien paid a visit to County Kerry, Ireland, where his ancestors originated.

O'Brien attended Brookline High School, where he served as the managing editor of the school newspaper. In his senior year, O'Brien won the National Council of Teachers of English writing contest with his short story, "To Bury the Living". After graduating as valedictorian in 1981, he entered Harvard University. At Harvard, O'Brien lived in Holworthy Hall during his freshman year and Mather House during his three upper-class years. He concentrated in history and literature and graduated ''magna cum laude'' in 1985. His senior thesis concerned the use of children as symbols in the works of William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor. Throughout college, O'Brien was a writer for the ''Harvard Lampoon'' humor magazine. He also briefly served as the drummer in a band called "The Bad Clams". During his sophomore and junior years, he served as the ''Lampoon'''s president. At this time, O'Brien's future boss at NBC, Jeff Zucker, was serving as President of the rival ''The Harvard Crimson''.

Career

''Saturday Night Live'' (1987–1991)

O'Brien moved to Los Angeles after graduation to join the writing staff of HBO's ''Not Necessarily the News''. He was also a writer on the short-lived ''The Wilton North Report''. He spent two years with that show and performed regularly with improvisational groups, including The Groundlings. In January 1988, ''Saturday Night Live'''s executive producer, Lorne Michaels, hired O'Brien as a writer. During his three years on ''Saturday Night Live (SNL)'', he wrote such recurring sketches as "Mr. Short-Term Memory" and "The Girl Watchers"; the latter was first performed by Tom Hanks and Jon Lovitz. O'Brien also co-wrote the sketch, "Nude Beach", with Robert Smigel, in which the word "penis" was said or sung at least 42 times. While on a writers' strike from ''Saturday Night Live'' following the 1987–88 season, O'Brien put on an improvisational comedy revue in Chicago with fellow ''SNL'' writers Bob Odenkirk and Robert Smigel called ''Happy Happy Good Show''. While living in Chicago, O'Brien briefly roomed with Jeff Garlin. In 1989, O'Brien and his fellow ''SNL'' writers received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy or Variety Series.

O'Brien, like many ''SNL'' writers, occasionally appeared as an extra in sketches; his most notable appearance was as a doorman in a sketch in which Tom Hanks was inducted into the SNL "Five-Timers Club" for hosting his fifth episode. O'Brien returned to host the show in 2001 during its 26th season. O'Brien and Robert Smigel wrote the television pilot for ''Lookwell'' starring Adam West, which aired on NBC in 1991. The pilot never went to series, but it became a cult hit. It was later screened at ''The Other Network'', a festival of unaired TV pilots produced by Un-Cabaret; it featured an extended interview with O'Brien and was rerun in 2002 on the Trio network.

''The Simpsons'' (1991–1993)

From 1991 to 1993, O'Brien was a writer and producer for ''The Simpsons'' and was credited as writer or co-writer of four episodes. Of all the episodes he wrote, he considers "Marge vs. the Monorail" to be his favorite. Along with this episode, he has sole writing credits on "New Kid on the Block," "Homer Goes to College," and "Treehouse of Horror IV," on which he wrote the episode wraparounds. He was an active producer during seasons 4 and 5 as well, meaning he would frequently contribute to scripts from those seasons as well as come up with story ideas, plot points, and jokes. The style of the show's comedy during this period was also influenced by his sensibilities, with "Marge vs. the Monorail" being cited by several former writers as the turning point in the show's history where more absurd and visual comedy became acceptable. He also developed a reputation as a "room guy," or a writer who performs comedy bits throughout the day to entertain other writers.

In his speech given at Class Day at Harvard in 2000, O'Brien credited ''The Simpsons'' with saving him, a reference to the career slump he was experiencing prior to his being hired for the show.

During his time at ''The Simpsons'', O'Brien also had a side project working with former writing partner Robert Smigel on the script for a musical film based on the "Hans and Franz" sketch from ''Saturday Night Live''. The film was never produced.

''Late Night'' (1993–2009)

As executive producer, Lorne Michaels invited O'Brien to audition to host the successor show to ''Late Night with David Letterman''. Premiering on September 13, 1993, ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' received generally unfavorable critical reviews during its first few years. The show remained on multiweek renewal cycles while NBC decided its fate. O'Brien later poked fun at the first three years of the show, when on his 10th Anniversary Special Mr. T appeared to give O'Brien a gold necklace with a giant "7" on it. When O'Brien tried to point out that he had actually been on the air for ten years, Mr. T responded, "I know that, fool; but you've only been funny for seven!"

Beginning in 1996, O'Brien and the ''Late Night'' writing team were nominated annually for the Emmy Award for Best Writing in a Comedy or Variety Series, winning the award for the first and only time in 2007. In 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004, he and the ''Late Night'' writing staff won the Writers Guild Award for Best Writing in a Comedy/Variety Series. In 2001, he formed his own television production company, Conaco, which subsequently shared in the production credits for ''Late Night''.

A long-running joke, which stems from the recurring segment "Conan O'Brien Hates My Homeland", is that O'Brien resembles the first female president of Finland, Tarja Halonen. After joking about this for several months (which led to his endorsement of her campaign), O'Brien traveled to Finland, appearing on several television shows and meeting President Halonen. The trip was filmed and aired as a special.

O'Brien ad-libbed the fictional website name "hornymanatee.com" on December 4, 2006, after a sketch about the fictional manatee mascot and its inappropriate webcam site. NBC opted to purchase the website domain name for $159, since the website did not previously exist. The network was concerned that the Federal Communications Commission would hold NBC liable for promoting inappropriate content if a third party were to register the domain and post such material. For a period of time, the website hosted material concerning Conan's initial manatee joke and other ''Tonight Show'' references, but today the site just redirects to NBC's main web page.

A popular recurring bit on the show was "Pale Force", a series of animated episodes in which comedian Jim Gaffigan and O'Brien are superheroes who fight crime with their "paleness". As Gaffigan introduced each new episode, O'Brien protested the portrayal of his character as cowardly, weak, and impotent. , ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' had for eleven years consistently attracted an audience averaging about 2.5 million viewers. O'Brien is an avid guitarist and music listener. When Bruce Springsteen and the Sessions Band appeared on the show as musical guests, O'Brien joined the 17-piece band, along with the Max Weinberg 7 and guests Jimmy Fallon and Thomas Haden Church, playing acoustic guitar and contributing backup vocals for the song "Pay Me My Money Down". On the June 13, 2008, episode of ''Late Night'', O'Brien simply walked onto the stage at the start of the show. Instead of his usual upbeat antics and monologue, O'Brien announced that he had just received news about the sudden death of his good friend, fellow NBC employee and frequent ''Late Night'' guest, Tim Russert. O'Brien proceeded to show two clips of his favorite Russert ''Late Night'' moments. On February 20, 2009, NBC aired the last episode of ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. The show consisted of a compilation of previous ''Late Night'' clips and included a surprise appearance by former sidekick, Andy Richter. Will Ferrell, John Mayer, and the White Stripes also appeared. O'Brien ended the episode by destroying the set with an axe, handing out the pieces of the set to the audience, and thanking a list of people who helped him get to that point in his career. Among those thanked were Lorne Michaels, David Letterman, Jay Leno, and O'Brien's wife and children.

The Colbert / O'Brien / Stewart mock feud

During the writers' strike in 2008, O'Brien staged a mock feud with Comedy Central's Jon Stewart (of ''The Daily Show'') and Stephen Colbert (of ''The Colbert Report'') over a dispute about which of the three were responsible for giving a "bump" to Mike Huckabee's campaign to become the Republican presidential nominee. This feud crossed over all three shows during the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike.

''The Tonight Show'' (2009–2010)

In 2004, O'Brien negotiated a new contract with NBC. As part of the deal, O'Brien would take over ''The Tonight Show'' from Jay Leno in 2009. O'Brien was a guest on Jay Leno's final episode of ''The Tonight Show''. On June 1, 2009, Will Ferrell became Conan's first ''Tonight Show'' guest on the couch and Pearl Jam appeared as his first musical guest.

During the taping of the Friday, September 25, 2009, episode of ''The Tonight Show'', O'Brien suffered from a mild concussion after he slipped and hit his head while running a race as part of a comedy sketch with guest Teri Hatcher. He was examined at a hospital and released the same day. A rerun was aired that night, but O'Brien returned to work the following Monday and poked fun at the incident.

Departure from ''The Tonight Show''

On Thursday, January 7, 2010, NBC executive Jeff Zucker met with Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien to discuss how to get Leno out of prime time, where his ratings were lackluster, and back into late night. A proposal was made that would see O'Brien remain as host of ''The Tonight Show'', which would be moved to 12:05 am with Leno hosting a 30-minute show at 11:35 pm On January 10, NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin confirmed that ''The Jay Leno Show'' would indeed end at the start of the Winter Olympics on February 12, 2010, and be moved to 11:35 pm following the Olympics coverage. Sources familiar with the situation told the ''New York Post'' that O'Brien was unhappy with NBC's plan.

On January 12, O'Brien released this statement: "I sincerely believe that delaying ''The Tonight Show'' into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. ''The Tonight Show'' at 12:05 simply isn’t ''The Tonight Show.''" On January 21, 2010, it was announced that Conan had reached a deal with NBC that would see him exit ''The Tonight Show'' the next day. The deal also granted him $45 million, of which $12 million was designated for distribution to his staff, who had moved with Conan to Los Angeles from New York when he left ''Late Night''.

The final ''Tonight Show'' with Conan aired January 22, 2010, and featured guests Tom Hanks, Steve Carell (who did an exit interview and shredded Conan's ID badge), Neil Young (singing "Long May You Run"), and Will Ferrell. For Ferrell's appearance, Conan played guitar with the band and Ferrell sang "Free Bird" while reprising his ''SNL'' cowbell. Ferrell's wife, Viveca Paulin, together with Ben Harper, Beck, and ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons, also joined the band for this final performance.

Jay Leno returned to ''The Tonight Show'' following NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Under the $45 million deal with NBC, Conan was allowed to start working for another network as soon as September 2010. Conan's rumored next networks ranged anywhere from Fox to Comedy Central.

After ''Tonight''

On February 8, 2010, it was reported that O'Brien was attempting to sell his Central Park West penthouse in New York with an asking price of $35 million. He purchased the apartment in 2007 for $10 million. Two years earlier, O'Brien had purchased a home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles for over $10.5 million. Some industry insiders have speculated that O'Brien had chosen to stay on the west coast in order to facilitate a return to late night television and because he did not want to put his children through another move.

On February 24, 2010, O'Brien attracted media attention for starting a Twitter account. His tweets, although primarily jokes, amounted to his first public statements since leaving ''The Tonight Show'' one month earlier. After about one hour, O'Brien's subscriber list had rocketed to over 30,000 members and approximately 30 minutes later, he was on the brink of passing 50,000 followers, already 20,000 more than the verified @jayleno account. After 24 hours, O'Brien had well over 300,000 followers. In late May 2010, he surpassed the one million mark for number of Twitter followers, and he has over 3.3 million followers.

O'Brien has been named to the 2010 Time 100, a list compiled by TIME of the 100 most influential people in the world as voted on by readers. After being prohibited from making television appearances of any kind until May, O'Brien spoke about the ''Tonight Show'' conflict on the CBS newsmagazine ''60 Minutes'' on May 2, 2010. During the interview with Steve Kroft, O'Brien said the situation felt "like a marriage breaking up suddenly, violently, quickly. And I was just trying to figure out what happened." He also said he "absolutely" expected NBC to give him more of a chance and that, if in Jay Leno's position, he would not have come back to ''The Tonight Show''. However, Conan said he did not feel he got shafted. "It's crucial to me that anyone seeing this, if they take anything away from this, it's I'm fine. I'm doing great," said O'Brien. "I hope people still find me comedically absurd and ridiculous. And I don't regret anything."

The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour

On March 11, 2010, O'Brien announced via his Twitter account that he would embark on a 30-city live tour beginning April 12, 2010, entitled "The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour". Co-host Andy Richter, along with members of the former Tonight Show Band, joined O'Brien on the tour. Max Weinberg, however, was not able to join, except for a guest appearance at one of Conan's New York City shows. VIP tickets for $695 offered the opportunity to meet O'Brien in person. On the same day, teamcoco.com—an apparently official website—was launched.

On April 12, 2010, O'Brien opened his two-month comedy tour in Eugene, Oregon, with a crowd of 2,500 and no TV cameras. The tour traveled through America's Northwest and Canada before moving on to larger cities, including Los Angeles and New York City, where he performed on the campuses that house both of the NBC-owned studios he formerly occupied. The tour ended in Atlanta on June 14. With ticket prices starting at $40, "The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour" was effectively sold out.

''Conan'' (2010–present)

On April 12, 2010, just hours before the start of his tour in Eugene, Oregon, O'Brien announced that he would host a new show on cable station TBS. The show debuted on November 8, 2010, and airs Monday through Thursday beginning at 11:00 pm ET/10:00 pm CT. O'Brien's addition moved ''Lopez Tonight'' with George Lopez back one hour to midnight ET/11:00 pm CT. Refusing at first to do to Lopez what had happened to him at NBC, O'Brien agreed to join the network after Lopez called to persuade him to come to TBS. In Canada, CTV will air the show and in Turkey, CNBC-e will air the show.

Other networks that were reportedly interested in O'Brien include TBS' sister networks TNT and HBO, Fox, FX, Comedy Central, Showtime, Revision3, and even the NBC Universal-owned USA Network.

On September 1, 2010, O'Brien announced via his Twitter account and Team Coco YouTube page that the title of his new show on TBS would simply be ''Conan''.

Television writer/producer (2002–present)

In 2004, O'Brien apologized to Canadians for engaging in Quebec bashing, something which some felt reflected prejudice against Francophones. On March 7, 2006, NBC announced a new adventure/comedy series entitled ''Andy Barker, P.I.'', starring O'Brien's former sidekick, Andy Richter. O'Brien was executive producer and co-wrote the pilot. After six episodes and low ratings, the show was canceled despite being named by ''Entertainment Weekly'' as one of the Top Ten Shows of 2007. USA Network has handed out a 90-minute, cast-contingent pilot order to the medical-themed ''Operating Instructions'' from O'Brien's production banner. O'Brien will serve as an executive producer through his Conaco label. The script comes from ''Just Shoot Me'' veterans Judd Pillot and John Peaslee who will also executive produce." NBC ordered two pilots from Conaco in January 2010, the one-hour courtroom drama, ''Outlaw'', and a half-hour comedy. ''Outlaw'' was later green-lit to series and premiered on September 15, 2010.

Voice work and guest appearances

O'Brien's first guest appearance after beginning his late-night career was on the show he used to write for, ''The Simpsons''. He played himself in the season five episode "Bart Gets Famous", interviewing Bart Simpson during his rise to fame as a catchphrase comedian. The episode was produced after O'Brien's audition to replace David Letterman, but before he was hired for the show. O'Brien recorded his part after his own show went on the air, though he believed his show would be canceled by the time "Bart Gets Famous" aired. In 2006, he voiced himself in a short ''South Park'' scene as part of the opening of the 2006 Emmy Awards. In 2005, he provided the voice of Robert Todd Lincoln in the audio book version of ''Assassination Vacation'' by Sarah Vowell.

O'Brien has made multiple voice appearances on the Adult Swim series ''Robot Chicken'', including the specials ''Robot Chicken: Star Wars'', and ''Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II'' as the voice of the bounty hunter Zuckuss. On the TV show ''30 Rock'', O'Brien is depicted as an ex-boyfriend of lead character Liz Lemon, who works in the same building. In the episode "Tracy Does Conan," Conan appears as himself, awkwardly reunited with Lemon and coerced by network executive Jack Donaghy into having the character Tracy Jordan on ''Late Night'', despite having been assaulted in Jordan's previous appearance.

O'Brien made an appearance on ''Futurama'' in the second-season episode "Xmas Story". O'Brien plays himself as a head in a jar and still alive in the year 3000. O'Brien performs a stand-up routine at a futuristic ski lodge while being heckled by Bender the robot.

O'Brien also made a cameo appearance on the U.S. version of ''The Office''. In the episode "Valentine's Day", Michael believes that he spots former ''SNL'' cast member, Tina Fey, but has actually mistaken another woman for her. In the meantime, Conan has a quick walk-on and the camera crew informs Michael, when he returns from talking to the Tina Fey lookalike.

In January 2010, O'Brien appeared in ''The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!'' to honor the show he had written for in the early 1990s.

O'Brien created a superhero character with veteran DC Comics animator Bruce Timm during one episode of ''Conan''. Named "The Flaming C", the superhero bears a likeness to O'Brien, with a typically muscular superhero body and costume with chest insignia, but also with idiosyncrasies arbitrarily suggested by O'Brien like an oven mitt, a jai alai glove, marijuana leaf buckle, golf shoes, sock garters and fishnet stockings. O'Brien later aired a clip in which the character appears in ''Young Justice''.

Emmy host

O'Brien hosted the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards on August 27, 2006, to critical acclaim. He had previously hosted the Primetime Emmys in 2002, and co-hosted in 2003.

Commercials and product placements

According to Marketing Evolutions, the company that produces Q Scores measuring the familiarity and appeal of celebrities and brands, almost 74% of U.S. consumers are familiar with O'Brien. In spite of that high score, O'Brien hasn't done many commercials for corporate America; two recent examples are a 2009 appearance in a Super Bowl XLIII commercial for Bud Light, and one for American Express, which debuted on the same day as ''Conan''. He donated his proceeds from the Super Bowl commercial to the Fresh Air Fund, a charity which sends inner-city New York children to the country for vacations. According to ''The Wall Street Journal'', O'Brien was paid more than one million dollars to do the American Express commercial, which required him to spend three days in Jaipur, India filming it.

While O'Brien has done few commercials, he "does do plenty of promoting, weaving product pitches into his show"; he has said "it's increasingly incumbent to help with tie-ins [but] if it can't be funny, I'd rather go hungry."

Comedy and mannerisms

On ''Late Night,'' O'Brien became known for his active and spontaneous hosting style. He started off every show by saying, "We have a great show for you tonight" and ended nearly every show with a quick, quirky "Bye, everybody, bye!" His stage habits included, but were not limited to, mime, self-deprecation, dramatic expressions, various impressions, use of awkward pauses or responses, moving his hair and scalp back and forth and constantly buttoning and unbuttoning his suit jacket. He frequently made fun of and interacted with the audience and commonly made light of his own appearance, including his hairstyle, his pale skin, his clumsiness, and his height. He continued many of these themes into his position as host of ''The Tonight Show''.

One of O'Brien's trademarks is to perform the "string dance." He also does intentionally poor and exaggerated impressions of celebrities that are often reduced to a specific characteristic, phrase, or gesture that represents that person.

Personal life

O'Brien met Elizabeth Ann 'Liza' Powel in 2000 when she appeared on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' in an advertising skit involving Foote, Cone & Belding, where she worked as senior copywriter. The couple dated for nearly 18 months before their 2002 marriage in Powel's hometown of Seattle. O'Brien and Powel have a daughter, Neve (born in 2003) and a son, Beckett (born in 2005).

O'Brien repeatedly affirms his Irish Catholic heritage on his show. On a 2009 episode of ''Inside the Actors Studio'', he stated that both sides of his family moved to America from Ireland in the 1850s, subsequently marrying only other Irish Catholics, and that his lineage is thus 100% Irish Catholic.

He has been a staunch Democrat since casting his first vote for President in 1984 for Walter Mondale, although he considers himself a moderate on the political spectrum. O'Brien's longtime friend and former roommate at Harvard is Father Paul B. O' Brien, with whom he founded ''Labels Are For Jars'', an antihunger organization based in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and helped open the ''Cor Unum'' meal center in 2006. The two are not related.

In January 2008, after his show was put on hold for two months owing to the strike by the Writers Guild of America, he reemerged on late-night TV sporting a beard, which guest Tom Brokaw described as making him look like "a draft dodger from the Civil War." After leaving ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' on Jan. 22, 2010, O'Brien again grew a beard, which he kept until May 2, 2011, when it was partially shaved on the set of his TBS talk show, ''Conan'', by Will Ferrell with battery-operated clippers (and completely shaved off-screen by a professional barber). The event was dubbed on the show as "Beardocalypse," and included a contest for fan-submitted artwork.

O'Brien purchased a $10.5-million mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, to prepare for his move there in 2009 from New York City to host ''The Tonight Show'' at Universal Studios Hollywood. As part of a long running gag, he brought his 1992 Ford Taurus SHO with him to California, showcasing it on both the inaugural episodes of ''The Tonight Show'' and ''Conan''.

Victim of stalking

It was reported that since September 2006, O'Brien had allegedly been stalked by Father David Ajemian of the Archdiocese of Boston, who, despite multiple warnings to stop, had been sending O'Brien letters signed as "your priest stalker" and coming in contact with O'Brien's parents. Frustrated that he had been denied a spot in the ''Late Night'' audience, Ajemian sent a letter to O'Brien stating that he flew to New York "in the dimming hope that you might finally acknowledge me." He stated in another letter, "Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans??? You owe me big time, pal." In another letter, Ajemian seemed to make a death threat, saying, "Remember Frank Costello once dodged a bullet in your building and so can you." Ajemian then tried to forcefully enter a taping of ''Late Night'' but was caught and arrested. He was previously warned by the NBC security team to stay away from the studio. After a psychological evaluation, he was deemed fit to stand trial. He has since been bailed out of jail. He was then reported missing by his father on November 10, 2007. He was found and underwent evaluation at a hospital. It is known that the two had attended Harvard University at the same time. He was found fit to stand trial on April 4, 2008. On April 8, 2008, Ajemian pleaded guilty to stalking, stating that he "never meant to cause anxiety or to upset anyone." He was ordered to pay a $95 US$ court charge and to sign a two-year restraining order barring him from coming near O'Brien. On September 11, 2008, Ajemian checked himself out of his treatment at a hospital against the wishes of his bishop, Seán Patrick O'Malley. Cardinal O'Malley then released a statement saying that because he violated his bishop's wishes, Ajemian could no longer serve as a priest in the Catholic Church. As of late 2010, Ajemian has moved on to stalking Anthony Everett.

Nicknames

Conan acquired the nickname "Coco" after its use in the first "Twitter Tracker" sketch during the second episode of his ''Tonight Show'' run. Guest Tom Hanks used the nickname during his subsequent interview, even getting the audience to chant it. In reaction to the moniker, Conan remarked to Hanks in jest, "If that catches on, I'll sue you."

In a March 23, 2011, interview with WWE Champion The Miz on ''Conan'', The Miz dubbed Conan "The Ginja Ninja", a reference to Conan's red hair and the fact that he came back fighting to get his new late-night talk show. A week later, "Team Ginja Ninja" T-shirts were available on TeamCoco.com.

Filmography

;Appearances on talk shows: Guest appearance on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' (1993, 2007, 2008, 2009)

Guest appearance on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (1993)

Guest appearance on ''The Jon Stewart Show'' (1993)

''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (1993–2009)

Guest appearance on ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' (2002)

Guest appearance on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' (2007, 2008)

Guest appearance on ''The Colbert Report'' (2007, 2008)

''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' (2009)

''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' (2009–2010)

Guest appearance on ''Lopez Tonight'' (2010, 2011)

''Conan'' (November 8, 2010–)

;Other shows:

''Saturday Night Live'' (1991, 2001)

''The Simpsons'' (''as himself'') (1994)

''Space Ghost: Coast to Coast'' (''as himself'') (1999)

''Mr. Show with Bob and David'' (1995)

''The Single Guy'' (1996)

''Arli$$'' (1996)

''Spin City'' (1999)

''Futurama'' (1999)

''Storytelling'' (2001)

''Vanilla Sky'' (2001)

''Sugar & Spice'' (2001) ''(cameo in end credits)''

''Dr. Katz'' (''as himself'') (2002)

''Andy Richter Controls the Universe'' (2003)

''End of the Century'' (2003)

''Bewitched'' (''as himself'') (2005)

''Robot Chicken'' (2005)

''The Denial Twist (The White Stripes music video)'' (2005)

''O'Grady'' (2006)

''The Office'' ''(cameo)'' (2006)

''Queer Duck'' (''as himself'') (2006)

''30 Rock'' (''as himself'') (2007, 2009)

Robot Chicken Star Wars (as ''Zuckuss'') (2007)

''Sesame Street'' (2008)

''Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II'' (as ''Zuckuss'', Star Wars nerd) (2008)

''The Backyardigans'' (2009)

''60 Minutes'' (interview) (2010)

''Eagleheart'' (himself) (2010)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Work	Category	Result
1989	Emmy Award		Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program
1990	Emmy Award	Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program
1991	Emmy Award	Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program
1996	Emmy Award		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
1998	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
People's Choice Award	Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host
Telvis Award	For the color spot of the year	Special Telvis
Writers Guild of America Award		Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
People's Choice Award	Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
2008	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
			Outstanding Comedy, Music or Variety Series
Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series
Writers Guild of America Award	Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series
	People's Choice Award	rowspan="4"	Favorite TV Talk Show Host
	Outstanding Comedy, Music or Variety Series
Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series
American Express	Outstanding Commercial

References

Further reading

External links

in 2006 in 1998

TMZ page on Conan O'Brien

I'm With Coco Facebook

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:American comedians Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American television writers Category:Emmy Award winners Category:The Groundlings Category:Harvard Lampoon people Category:Harvard University alumni Category:American comedians of Irish descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American writers of Irish descent Category:Late night television talk show hosts Category:Late Night with Conan O'Brien Category:People from Brookline, Massachusetts Category:Writers from Massachusetts Category:Massachusetts Democrats

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Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
name	Bam Margera
birth date	September 28, 1979
birth place	West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
birth name	Brandon Cole Margera
residence	Castle Bam in Pocopson Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
occupation	StuntmanDirectorActorSkateboarder
spouse	Melissa "Missy" Rothstein (2007–present)
years active	1998–present
website
profession	Skateboarder }}

Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera (pronounced ; born September 28, 1979) is an American professional skateboarder, television and radio personality, actor and daredevil. He released a series of videos under the CKY banner and came to prominence after being drafted into MTV's ''Jackass'' crew. He has since appeared in MTV's ''Viva La Bam'' and ''Bam's Unholy Union'', all three ''Jackass'' movies, and ''Haggard'' and ''Minghags'', both of which he co-wrote and directed.

Early life

Margera was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, to Phil and April Margera. He is the younger brother of Jess Margera and nephew of Vincent Margera. His grandfather nicknamed him "Bam" at the age of three after his habit of running into walls. He attended East High School and cites friend Chris Raab as his only reason for attending high school, and dropped out after Raab got expelled for smearing feces on a locker. He later received his GED at the insistence of his parents.

Television and film

Margera began shooting videos of himself and his friends skateboarding and doing stunts, which eventually turned into the CKY video series. He independently released ''CKY''. ''CKY2K'', ''CKY3'' and ''CKY4'' have also been released. CKY stands for "Camp Kill Yourself", a reference to the film ''Sleepaway Camp''. These early videos feature many of Margera's friends, including Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo, Rake Yohn, Chris Raab, Brandon Novak and others who form a loose collective known as the CKY Crew. CKY is also the name of a rock band featuring his brother Jess, and the history and relationship between the video and band projects is heavily interlinked.

Following the CKY success, former ''Big Brother'' editor Jeff Tremaine noticed Margera's videos and drafted him into the team which would eventually become MTV's ''Jackass''. Margera and Ryan Dunn became mainstays of the cast while other CKY crew members played supporting roles to various degrees. Margera went on to appear in ''Jackass: The Movie'', ''Jackass Number Two'', and ''Jackass 3D''. Several skits in the first ''Jackass'' movie were CKY style pieces filmed in and around West Chester, but similar scenes in the second movie were removed after the arrest of Margera's uncle Vincent Margera.

After ''Jackass'', Margera was given his own MTV series entitled ''Viva La Bam'', which ran for five seasons between 2003-2005. The show followed Margera and his crew as they performed various stunts and missions. The show was primarily filmed in West Chester, Pennsylvania but also visited New Orleans, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Brazil, Finland, Mexico, Amsterdam and Transylvania. In addition to the regular series, special episodes have included "Viva La Spring Break" and a "lost" episode included on the ''Viva La Bands'' CD.

Following the show, in 2007, Margera was engaged and the wedding was filmed for ''Bam's Unholy Union'' as a follow-up to ''Viva la Bam''. The show follows Margera, his then fiancée Melissa Rothstein and their friends in the lead-up to their wedding. Also in 2008, Margera had a "prominent, non-sex role in" a pornographic film by Gina Lynn called ''The Fantasstic Whores 4'' with Brandon Novak.

In 2009, Margera appeared on ''Nitro Circus''.

In October 2010, Margera appeared in ''Jackass 3D'' and the movie broke box office records. He visited Europe doing press for the movie in late October.

Margera appears with Dunn and pro-skateboarder Tim O'Connor on ''Bam's World Domination'', a half-hour Spike TV program that debuted on October 13, 2010. The first episode showcased Margera and his friends' attempt to conquer an obstacle course race, in the Tough Guy Competition, held outside London, England.

Skateboarding career

Since 2003, Margera has been a member of Team Element, the demonstration team for Element Skateboards. He is also sponsored by Speed Metal Bearings, Adio Footwear, and Fairman's Skateshop.

Independent films

Margera has written, produced and starred in three independent films. Margera co-wrote, directed and starred in ''Haggard'' (2003), an independent film based on real events in the life of his friend Ryan Dunn. Dunn played himself as the main character while Margera played "Valo", a character based on himself and elements of HIM singer and friend Ville Valo.

Margera also directed ''Minghags'', formerly titled ''Kiss a Good Man's Ass''. The film is a loose sequel to ''Haggard'' and will feature the "garbage juicer" invention from that film. This film was confirmed on Radio Bam and the front page of FilthyNote Records by Tim Glomb. Filming started April 5, 2007. On an episode of Radio Bam, Margera said that they are trying to make the movie PG-13 rated, but with the amount of swearing and a shot of nudity, an 'R' Rating could not be avoided. They had its first viewing of the rough version of the film on August 7, 2007, at Sikes Hall. The movie was released in December 2008. The film was a straight-to-DVD release.

Subsequently, Margera released a Christmas-themed movie entitled ''Bam Margera Presents: Where the#$&% Is Santa?'' in December 2008. The movie is about Bam and his friends going to the Arctic Circle in Finland on a quest to find Santa Claus. The film features Ville Valo from HIM, The Dudesons, Hanoi Rocks, Mark the Bagger, and more.

Radio Bam and music

Margera began a weekly Sirius Satellite Radio show on Sirius channel 28 Faction on November 24, 2004 called ''Radio Bam''. The show features Margera along with friends from the CKY and Jackass crews.

In 2005, Margera started a music label, Filthy Note Records, and has directed music videos for Clutch, Turbonegro, Viking Skull, Vains of Jenna and several for CKY. He also directed seven music videos, "Buried Alive By Love", "The Sacrament", "And Love Said No", and "Solitary Man",for the Finnish band HIM, and three for The 69 Eyes, "Lost Boys", "Dead Girls are Easy" and "Dead N Gone". He also plays the keyboard in a novelty band called Gnarkill along with Brandon DiCamillo, Jess Margera, Rich Vose and Matt Cole.

Other projects

Margera has been animated as a character in pro-skateboarder Tony Hawk's video games ''Pro Skaters'' ''3'' and ''4'', ''Underground'' and ''Underground 2'', ''American Wasteland'', ''Project 8'' and ''Proving Ground''. He also voiced a character in the video game ''Scarface: The World Is Yours''. He made cameo appearances in the movies ''Grind'' and ''Destroying America.''

In late September 2008, Margera opened a bar/theater called "The Note", in his hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania.

In late 2009, Margera released a book containing private writings and pictures titled ''Serious as Dog Dirt''.

Personal life

Relationships

Margera was previously engaged to Jenn Rivell, a divorced single mother six years his senior. Rivell played a prominent part in several of his projects and the couple appeared to be co-habiting in various episodes of ''Viva La Bam''. However, the relationship ended in 2005. In November 2006, Margera filed for "Protection From Abuse" from Rivell after she allegedly broke into his house. He further alleged that Rivell had exhibited irrational and aggressive behavior towards him on several previous occasions including stealing several computers and vandalizing his house immediately after their initial breakup. The judge dismissed the allegations as "speculative" and "hearsay". Their break-up was attributed to rumors Margera had slept with pop star Jessica Simpson, which Margera initially denied before admitting they had been "intimate". Margera reasserted that nothing untoward had happened after he and Simpson met at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2006.

In 2006, Margera became engaged to childhood friend Melissa "Missy" Rothstein. The events leading up to their wedding (with about 350 friends and family in attendance) on February 3, 2007, in downtown Philadelphia, were chronicled on the MTV series ''Bam's Unholy Union''. The couple's honeymoon was in Dubai. In 2008, during an appearance LA Ink, Bam told Kat Von D about $13,000 in damages done to the hotel for his marriage, saying " I was kind of ready for it though. I was like: 'I’m inviting the Jackass crew. If something doesn’t get broken then that’s not right'."

In July 2009, Margera was taken to the hospital by paramedics and state troopers from his West Chester home after his wife Missy called 911 after a four day alcohol binge. On the drinking binge, Margera said "I may get a divorce . . . booze helps." In October 2010, Margera told Howard Stern he and Missy were living in separate cities, they meet once a week and Missy knows about his girlfriend in San Francisco and another in West Chester.

Name, residence and assault

In an October 24, 2007 interview with the ''Cleveland Free Times'', Margera stated that although he had completed paperwork that would legally change his first name to Bam, he was "still debating" filing it after a conversation with his father.

Margera currently resides in "Castle Bam", a large house in Wawaset, Pennsylvania. The house has a gothic theme, a skatepark in the driveway and is situated on of land. In January 2007, Margera built a ramp in his backyard, near the old casino seen in ''Viva La Bam''. The ramp itself caused trouble with the township. Margera's parents and select members of the CKY Crew lived in the house while shooting ''Viva La Bam'', with Margera's uncle residing in a house on the property.

On Saturday, June 12, 2010, Margera was allegedly attacked with a baseball bat outside of his bar, The Note, in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Margera spent the night at Crozer-Chester Medical Center where he was treated for head injuries. According to Elizabeth Ray, the alleged assailant, Margera used "the n-word, with black in front of it". Ray denies attacking Margera. Margera, on the other hand, denies having said the words, claiming "I called her a crazy bitch and an idiot, but I definitely didn't use the n-word".

TV, film, and releases

TV

''Jackass'' (MTV, 2000–2002)

''Viva La Bam'' (MTV, 2003–2006)

''Bam's Unholy Union'' (MTV, 2007)

''Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover'' (MTV Special, 2008)

''Nitro Circus'' (MTV, Two episodes in 2009)

''Bam's World Domination'' (Spike, 2010)

Movies

''Jackass: The Movie'' (2002)

''Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' (2003)

''Grind'' (2003)

''Haggard'' (2003)

''Jackass Number Two'' (2006)

''The Dudesons Movie'' (2006)

''Jackass 2.5'' (2007)

''Bam Margera Presents: Where the ♯$&% Is Santa?'' (2008)

''The Fantasstic Whores 4'' (Gina Lynn Productions, 2008)

''Minghags'' (2009)

''Jackass 3D'' (2010)

''Dreamseller

DVDs/Videos

''CKY video series: CKY, CKY2K, CKY3 and CKY4''. (1999–2003)

''Hook-Ups Presents: Destroying America'' (2001)

Book

Bam Margera, ''Serious as Dog Dirt'' (MTV; November 17, 2009) ISBN 1439147736

References

External links

Bam Margera's skate video filmography.

Filthy Note Records Official website

Category:1979 births Category:American skateboarders Category:American stunt performers Category:CKY Category:Living people Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Chester County, Pennsylvania

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