Erin Mershon – National Journal

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June 18, 1942: World famous film critic Robert Ebert was born in Urbana, Ill. Ebert joined the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967, taking on the role of movie critic when Eleanor Keane left the paper. By 1975, Ebert had gained some acclaim, becoming the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize. He also began co-hosting a weekly film review show called “Sneak Previews,” that was produced locally. Three years later the show was picked up by PBS and Gene Siskel joined as co-host, with the two becoming the dynamic film duo known as Siskel and Ebert. The pair invented the “thumbs up/thumbs down” format for rating films. In 1982, the pair syndicated the show renaming it “At The Movies With Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert.” Four years later, they moved the show under new ownership and created “Siskel & Ebert & The Movies.” The two worked together until 1999, when Siskel died from complications due to surgery. Ebert continued to work as a critic and host with new partner Richard Roeper. In 2005, he became the first film critic to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ebert continued to work even after being diagnosed with thyroid and salivary gland cancer in 2002, until his death in April 2013.