Robert Osborne Biography
Robert Jolin Osborne (/ˈɒzbɔːrn/; May 3, 1932 – March 6, 2017) was an American film historian, television presenter, author, actor and the primary host for more than 20 years of the cable channel Turner Cl*ic Movies (TCM). Prior to hosting at TCM, Osborne had been a host on The Movie Channel, and earlier, a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter. Osborne wrote the official history of the Academy Awards, published in 1988.
Early life
Osborne was born on May 3, 1932, in Colfax, Washington. His parents were Robert Eugene Osborne, a public school teacher, and Hazel Ida (née Jolin). Osborne graduated from the University of Washington School of Journalism in 1954.
Osborne served two years in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Seattle, where he acted in local theater. After appearing in a play with Oscar-winning actress Jane Darwell, Osborne followed her suggestion and moved to Hollywood in the 1950s.
Career
Actor
Osborne began his career working as a contract actor for Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's Desilu Studios. Osborne became part of Lucille Ball's Desilu Workshop.
Osborne appeared in a 1959 episode of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse called "Chain of Command", starring Hugh O'Brian. He was featured in the Desilu Playhouse installment "The Desilu Revue" in 1959. He had roles in television shows The Californians and the pilot episode of The Beverly Hillbillies.
Ball encouraged Osborne to focus on becoming a journalist. In 1965, Osborne had his first book published, Academy Awards Illustrated.
Columnist
Osborne began working as a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter in 1977. In 1978, he published 50 Golden Years of Oscar, which won the 1979 National Film Book award. He served as president of the Los Angeles Film Critics *ociation from 1981 to 1983. Osborne worked as the entertainment reporter on KTTV in Los Angeles from 1982 until 1987. He published the Rambling Reporter column for The Hollywood Reporter from 1982 to 2009.
In 1984, Osborne began hosting for The Movie Channel. He won the 1984 Publicists Guild of America Press Award. The following year, he began a relationship with Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), when he hosted a tribute to Shirley Temple at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills. In 1988, AMPAS commissioned him to write 60 Years of the Oscar. He wrote five updates to the volume, the latest being 85 Years of the Oscar in 2013.
Turner Cl*ic Movies
Osborne in 2007In 1994, Ted Turner created Turner Cl*ic Movies (TCM) as a compe*or to American Movie Cl*ics (AMC). Osborne was selected as the host of its nightly broadcasts. He hosted the series Private Screenings, featuring interviews with actors and directors. In 2006, Osborne began co-hosting The Essentials with Molly Haskell (2006 to 2007), Carrie Fisher (2007 to 2008), Rose McGowan (2008 to 2009), Alec Baldwin (2009 to 2011), Drew Barrymore and Sally Field.
From 2005 to 2010, Osborne hosted the annual "Robert Osborne's Cl*ic Film Festival," a nonprofit festival hosted by the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and M* Communication.
Osborne hosted the annual TCM Cl*ic Film Festival from 2010 until 2014.
Osborne continued to appear on Saturday nights, hosting The Essentials with Alec Baldwin. In 2012, Osborne began to delegate hosting duties with Ben Mankiewicz. Mankiewicz hosted primetime films two nights a week, as well as many daytime events. Osborne stated that he would continue to work "as long as I have health, and as long as I think I look O.K. on camera." He also said, "If I really couldn't do it with enthusiasm, that would be the time to quit."
In 2013, Osborne presented the Honorary Academy Award to Dame Angela Lansbury at the Fifth Governors Awards. Osborne introduced Lansbury by saying he thought it was "one of the best decisions the Academy has ever made". In Lansbury's acceptance speech, she made it known that she chose Osborne to present the Oscar to her, stating, "the one person who really knew about my early work was Robert Osborne". She also thanked Osborne and TCM, saying, "Thanks to Turner Cl*ic Movies and Robert, those great films are shown and studied and discussed by students everywhere, as well as seen by a huge general audience, so thank you TCM and thank you Robert for keeping me alive all these years."
In 2014, as part of an exclusive programming deal with Disney, TCM agreed to become the sponsor of The Great Movie Ride. The attraction underwent a refurbishment in 2015, with the addition of a new pre-show and post-show hosted by Osborne, who also provides onboard narration to the ride. The changes were unveiled on May 29, 2015.
Death
Osborne retired in early 2016 due to ill health and missed a number of TCM annual events over the next year. He died from natural causes at his New York City apartment in The Osborne on West 57th Street on March 6, 2017, at the age of 84.
Reactions to his death included tributes from many in the entertainment industry. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement saying, "The affection he had for the Oscars and the Academy was wholeheartedly reciprocated, and we are grateful for his friendship and indelible contribution to film history and our community." Others in the industry who mourned Osborne included Alec Baldwin, Eva Marie Saint, Liza Minnelli, Cher, Larry King, Leonard Maltin, Patricia Arquette, Bryan Cranston, and Patton Oswalt.
On the day of Osborne's death, The Hollywood Reporter published a statement by Angela Lansbury: "He was also the ultimate fan — and the ultimate friend — and our friendship will endure in my memory always".
Personal life
Osborne lived in New York City in the 1980s. He was in a 20-year relationship with David Staller, a New York City theater producer and director.
Favorite films
In an interview in 2009, with the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Osborne stated his favorite films included:
- A Place in the Sun (1951)
- All About Eve (1950)
- The Third Man (1949)
- Sunset Boulevard (1950)
- Singin' in the Rain (1952)
- Rebecca (1940)
- Random Harvest (1942)
- Red River (1948)
- Stagecoach (1939)
- The Razor's Edge (1946)
- This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Osborne also mentioned modern films he loved such as Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence (1993), and The Departed (2006), as well as Christopher Guest's Best in Show (2000).
Filmography
Awards and honors
Osborne won the Publicists Guild of America 1984 Press Award. He also received an honorary doctorate from the Academy of Art University in 2005, and was awarded a star at Vine Street on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. In 2007, he received the National Board of Review's William K. Everson Award.
In January 2016, Osborne was given the inaugural William Cameron Menzies Award from the Art Directors Guild, recognizing his 35 years as a film historian, columnist, and critic championing visual entertainment.
In 2018, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences included Osborne in their "In Memoriam" montage during the 90th Academy Awards telecast.
The Robert Osborne Award
In 2018, TCM inaugurated the Robert Osborne Award, to be presented at their annual Cl*ic Film Festival "to an individual whose work has helped keep the cultural heritage of cl*ic films alive and thriving for generations to come." The inaugural recipient was film director Martin Scorsese for his work with The Film Foundation, which he co-founded in 1990.
The honorees have included:
- 2018: Martin Scorsese
- 2019: Kevin Brownlow
- 2022: Leonard Maltin
- 2023: Donald Bogle
- 2024: Jeanine Basinger
The Robert Osborne Collection
In 2021, the American Film Ins*ute launched the Robert Osborne Collection. The online collection features a variety of Osborne's famous film introductions on AFI.com.
In popular culture
Osborne made several cameo appearances as himself including on the Cartoon Network animated series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law where he introduced the 2005 episode "Turner Cl*ic Birdman". Osborne also made a cameo appearance in the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt episode "Kimmy's in a Love Triangle!" introducing the fictional 1938 film "Daddy's Boy!" on Turner Cl*ic Movies.
Osborne was also spoofed on Saturday Night Live with Darrell Hammond portraying him in 2006. Jason Sudeikis portrayed him in recurring sketches from 2010 to 2012.
Bibliography
Books
- Academy Awards Illustrated. ESE California. 1965. ISBN:978-0912076041.
- Hollywood Legends: The Life and Films of Humphrey Bogart and Greta Garbo. Marvin Miller. 1967. ASIN:B0075MDDA0.
- Academy Awards Oscar Annual. ESE California. 1971–1976.
- Best Actor Oscar Winners Since 1927. ESE California. 1977. ISBN:978-0912076034.
- Best Picture Oscar Winners Since 1927. ESE California. 1977. ISBN:978-0912076058.
- Best Actress Oscar Winners. ESE California. 1977. ISBN:978-0912076027.
- 50 Golden Years of Oscar. ESE California. 1978. ISBN:978-0912076300.
- 60 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. Equation. 1988. ISBN:978-1853361463.
- 65 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. Abbeville Press. 1994. ISBN:978-1558597150.
- 70 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. Abbeville Press. 1999. ISBN:978-0789204844.
- 75 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. Abbeville Press. 2003. ISBN:978-0789207876.
- 80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. Abbeville Press. 2008. ISBN:978-0789209924.
- 85 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. Abbeville Press. 2013. ISBN:978-0789211422.
- Osborne, Robert; Foreman, Alexa L.; Peltason, Ruth A.; Vieira, Mark A. (2004). In the Picture: Production Stills from the TCM Archives. Chronicle Books. ISBN:978-0811844161.
Forewords
- Edwards, Dianna (2003). Picture Show: Cl*ic Movie Posters from the TCM Archives. Foreword by Robert Osborne. Chronicle Books. ISBN:978-0811841542.
- Carlyle, John (2006). Under the Rainbow: An Intimate Memoir of Judy Garland, Rock Hudson and My Life in Old Hollywood. Foreword by Robert Osborne. Da Capo Press. ISBN:0786720344.
- Turner Cl*ic Movies (2006). Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era. Foreword by Robert Osborne. Chronicle Books. ISBN:978-0811854672.
- Turner Cl*ic Movies (2006). Leading Ladies: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era. Foreword by Robert Osborne. Chronicle Books. ISBN:978-0811852487.
- Miller, Frank (2008). Leading Couples: The Most Unforgettable Screen Romances of the Studio Era. Introduction by Robert Osborne. Chronicle Books. ISBN:978-0811863018.
- Arnold, Jeremy (2016). The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter. Foreword by Robert Osborne. Running Press. ISBN:978-0762459469.
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Osborne.- Official website
- Robert Osborne at IMDb
- Robert Osborne at the TCM Movie Database
- Robert Osborne's column in The Hollywood Reporter (2009)
- "Robert Osborne Biography: The Host of Turner Cl*ic Movies". Turner Cl*ic Movies. Archived from the original on March 15, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2014. Turner Cl*ic Movies biography.
- The Robert Osborne Collection
- Cinema Retro interview with Robert Osborne
- Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast long-form interview with Robert Osborne, July, 2014
- Thomas, Nick (March 8, 2017). "Remembering Robert Osborne'". The Spectrum. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
