Biography
Gene Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. He partnered with fellow critic Roger Ebert to present a series of television shows which centered on film reviews. Their partnership lasted from 1975 to Siskel's death in 1999. Siskel became famous for his heated arguments with Ebert, as they frequently disagreed on the merits of particular films. Siskel had brain surgery in 1998. He died in 1999, due to complications from the surgery.
In 1946, Siskel was born in Chicago. His parents were Nathan William Siskel and his wife Ida Kalis, first-generation Russian-Jewish immigrants. Both of his parents had died by 1955, when Siskel was 9-years-old. He was primarily raised by his uncle and aunt. Siskel was educated at the Culver Academies, a college preparatory boarding school which was located in Culver, Indiana.
Siskel received his college education at Yale University. He graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1967. He was interested in a writing career, and studied writing under the famous journalist John Hersey (1914-1993). Hershey provided the recommendation which allowed Siskel to be hired by the Chicago Tribune.
Following his college graduation, Siskel joined the United States Army Reserve. He served as a military journalist, and as a public affairs officer for the Defense Information School. In 1969, he was hired by the Chicago Tribune as a journalist. Shortly after, Siskel was appointed as the newspaper's new film critic. He would continue working for this newspaper for 30 years.
In 1975, Siskel and Ebert started presenting a film review show for WTTW, the local Chicago PBS station. The original title for the show was "Opening Soon at a Theater Near You". In 1977, it was renamed to "Sneak Previews". At this point, it became available to the PBS program system. In 1978, the show started airing biweekly on PBS, where it gained a national audience. In 1980, the show started airing weekly on over 180 stations. It reportedly became "the highest rated weekly entertainment series in the history of public broadcasting".
In 1982, Siskel and Ebert were offered a new contract by WTTW. The duo found the contract's terms to be unfavorable to them and they chose to resign instead. They were replaced by new hosts for the show, Neal Gabler and Jeffrey Lyons. Ratings soon declined, and the new hosts were ridiculed in press reviews as inferior to Siskel and Ebert. Meanwhile, Siskel and Ebert were offered their own syndicated television show by Tribune Broadcasting, the parent company of the Chicago Tribune. They took the offer, and became the original hosts of "At the Movies" (1982-1990).
In 1986, Siskel and Ebert were offered a new contract by Buena Vista Entertainment, the television division of the Walt Disney Company. They launched their new show under the title "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies" (1986-1999). At about this time, the Chicago Tribune chose to demote Siskel. He was no longer the newspaper's full-time film critic, but a freelance contract writer. Siskel chose not to protest his demotion, though Ebert publicly criticized the mistreatment of his partner.
In May 1998, Siskel was hospitalized for treatment of a brain tumor. He underwent brain surgery. For weeks, he only participated in his show through comments delivered by phone. When he resumed work at the studio, Siskel seemed to be more lethargic and mellow than usual.
Siskel published his last newspaper review on January 29, 1999. He praised the young actress Rachael Leigh Cook, and commented that he hoped to see her next film. With signs that his health was declining again, Siskel had to seek further medical treatment. On February 3, 1999, he announced that he was taking a leave of absence from his television show. He appeared optimistic that he would be able to recover within a few months. He died on February 20 of the same year, due to complications from his surgery. He was 53-years-old at the time of his death. His funeral was held at the "North Suburban Synagogue Beth El", located in Highland Park, Illinois. Siskel was buried at Westlawn Cemetery, located in Norridge, Illinois.
Following Siskel's death, his television show was renamed to "Roger Ebert & the Movies". A series of guest critics served as temporary replacements for Siskel, until a more permanent solution could be found. In 2000, Siskel was finally replaced by the new host Richard Roeper. Ebert was also diagnosed with cancer in 2002. As Ebert's health declined, the show lost much of its viewership. It was canceled in 2010. Siskel is still fondly recalled by the viewers of his shows, who found that their favorite host was irreplaceable.
