R.I.P Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert, journalist, film critic, screenwriter, and the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize, has passed away today. He was 70 years old.

Only 2 days after announcing his “leave of presence” (after discovering that a recent hip fracture was, in fact, cancerous), he finally passed away, ending his decade long battle with cancer.

Roger Ebert, whose contributions to the world of film writing and criticism in general are far too numerous to mention, began his battle in 2002 after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After several surgeries and treatments, he lost his voice and the majority of his jaw. By 2010, he swore off surgeries and began using a speech synthesizer, with the voice being pieced together by his various reviews from “At the Movies”, as well as his other video reviews.

After he fractured his hip (a second time) just 2 days ago, it was discovered that it was a cancer that had caused it. He went to receive radiation treatment to fight it, and took a “leave of presence” from his online reviews.

In 1967, Roger Ebert was hired as the ‘Chicago Sun-Times’ as a film critic, thus beginning his long and varied career.

In 1969, his review for “Night of the Living Dead” was published in ‘Reader’s Digest’, exposing him and his name to a national audience.

In 1975, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel (a writer for the ‘Chicago Tribune’) began hosting a televised review show “Sneak Previews” for the local television in Chicago.

In 1975, he became the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize in Criticism.

In 1978, “Sneak Previews” was picked up by PBS for national distribution.

In 1982, their little show became syndicated and was renamed to “At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert”.

In 1986, they created “Siskel & Ebert & The Movies”, which is where they became the most renown with their trademarked thumbs up/thumbs down system.

In 1999, Gene Siskel passed away, and Roger Eberts’ show was renamed “Roger Ebert & The Movies” as they rotated co-hosts every week.

In 2000, Richard Roeper would land the solid co-hosting gig, and their show was retitled “At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper”.

In 2008, Roger Ebert left the show.

He was also a screenwriter and an outspoken opponent of the MPAA film rating system, believing that the ratings preventing children from accessing otherwise positively themed movies because of mild violence, or that movies more deserving of NC-17 or X ratings were down rated to R for sake of subject matter.

So from all of us at Yidio, we wish all the best to Ebert’s friends and family. The film industry as a whole mourns the loss of one of the great innovators.