Robert Osborne

Robert Osborne, who died in 2017, was a film historian, writer, and actor best known as the primetime host of Turner Classic Movies. A Colfax, Washington, native, he studied journalism at the University of Washington. In 1959 he joined Lucille Ball's Desilu as a contract actor, appearing in Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse and the pilot of The Beverly Hillbillies, though Ball urged him toward writing. His first book, Academy Awards Illustrated, came out in 1965. He became a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter in 1977 and wrote the Rambling Reporter column. From 1984 to 1993 he hosted on The Movie Channel. He began hosting TCM's nightly broadcasts in 1994 and stayed until 2016, also fronting Private Screenings and The Essentials. He hosted the TCM Classic Film Festival from 2010 to 2014. His honors included a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2006 and the William K. Everson Award from the National Board of Review in 2007.