Robert Jolin Osborne (/ˈɒzbɔːrn/; May 3, 1932 – March 6, 2017)[1][2] was an American film historian, author, actor and the primary television host for the premium cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for over twenty years. Prior to hosting at TCM, Osborne had been a host on The Movie Channel and American Movie Classics (AMC).[3] He had also worked as a news columnist for The Hollywood Reporter. Osborne wrote the official history of the Academy Awards, with the first edition published in 1988.[4]
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).[5] In 1941, Osborne's fascination with Hollywood began when his mother purchased for him the August edition of Modern Screen magazine featuring Lana Turner; inside, there was an advertisement for Kiss the Boys Goodbye, in which Mary Martin's lips were colored red in a black-and-white spread.[6]
At twelve years old, he landed a summer job at the Rose Theatre, where he changed the posters in the glass cases and changed the film titles on the marquee using a step ladder. After a year, he became a theatre usher and when was 15, he was reassigned as a ticket taker.[7] In 1948, his family relocated to Everett, Washington. There, he attended Everett High School. He graduated in 1950, and gave a commencement speech titled "Youth Views the Schools."[8]
Osborne graduated from the University of Washington School of Journalism in 1954.[9] He then 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 during the 1950s.[10]
Osborne began his show business career working as a contract actor for Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's Desilu Studios.[5] Osborne became part of Lucille Ball's Desilu Workshop.[11]
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.[12] Ball encouraged Osborne to focus on becoming a journalist.[13]
In 1965, Osborne published his first book, Academy Awards Illustrated.[14] Osborne began working as a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter in 1977.[15] In 1978, he published 50 Golden Years of Oscar, which won the 1979 National Film Book award.[16] He served as president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association from 1981 to 1983.[17][18] Osborne worked as the entertainment reporter on KTTV in Los Angeles from 1982 until 1987.[18] He published the Rambling Reporter column for The Hollywood Reporter from 1982 to 2009.[18][19]
In 1985, Osborne 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 published in 2013.[3][4]
In 1984, Osborne began hosting for The Movie Channel. While hosting for The Movie Channel, Osborne was invited by actress Dorothy Lamour to lunch with then-American Movie Classics (AMC) television executives Brad Siegel and Jim Wise. They offered him the daytime afternoon hosting position when his contract with the Movie Channel expired. At the time, Bob Dorian was AMC's primetime host.[5] Despite working for the same network, Dorian never met Osborne. In 2009, Dorian stated, "The major difference between us is that Osborne is a film historian. I'm hardly that. What I am is an actor and a fan. I love good films (and a lot of bad ones), and I know a lot of great stories."[20]
From 2005 to 2010, Osborne hosted the annual "Robert Osborne's Classic Film Festival," a nonprofit festival hosted by the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.[25][26] Meanwhile, in 2006, he was selected to be the Academy's official red carpet greeter, inheriting the position from Variety columnist Army Archerd.[27] In 2010, Osborne began hosting the TCM Classic Film Festival,[28] with his last appearance occuring in 2014.[15]
Osborne continued to appear on Saturday nights, hosting The Essentials with Alec Baldwin. In 2012, Osborne began to delegate hosting duties with Ben Mankiewicz.[29][30] Mankiewicz hosted primetime films two nights a week, as well as many daytime events.[31] 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."[6]
In 2013, Osborne presented the Honorary Academy AwardtoDame Angela Lansbury at the Fifth Governors Awards.[32] 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 Classic 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."[33]
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.[34] The changes were unveiled on May 29, 2015.[35]
Osborne retired in early 2016 due to ill health and missed a number of TCM annual events over the next year.[36][37] 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.[14]
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".[39]
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.[45]
In 2018, TCM inaugurated the Robert Osborne Award, to be presented at their annual Classic Film Festival "to an individual whose work has helped keep the cultural heritage of classic 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.[47][48]
In 2021, the American Film Institute launched the Robert Osborne Collection. The online collection features a variety of Osborne's famous film introductions on AFI.com.[54]
Osborne made several cameo appearances as himself including on the Adult Swim animated series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law where he introduced the 2005 episode "Turner Classic 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 Classic Movies.
75 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. Abbeville Press. 2003. ISBN978-0789207876.
80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. Abbeville Press. 2008. ISBN978-0789209924.
85 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. Abbeville Press. 2013. ISBN978-0789211422.
Osborne, Robert; Foreman, Alexa L.; Peltason, Ruth A.; Vieira, Mark A. (2004). In the Picture: Production Stills from the TCM Archives. Chronicle Books. ISBN978-0811844161.
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. ISBN0786720344.
Turner Classic Movies (2006). Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era. Foreword by Robert Osborne. Chronicle Books. ISBN978-0811854672.
Turner Classic Movies (2006). Leading Ladies: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era. Foreword by Robert Osborne. Chronicle Books. ISBN978-0811852487.
Miller, Frank (2008). Leading Couples: The Most Unforgettable Screen Romances of the Studio Era. Introduction by Robert Osborne. Chronicle Books. ISBN978-0811863018.
Arnold, Jeremy (2016). The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter. Foreword by Robert Osborne. Running Press. ISBN978-0762459469.
^"Film Festival overview". September 25, 2010. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
