Times Colonist

The face of classic-film network

-

NEW YORK — Robert Osborne, the genial face of Turner Classic Movies and a walking encycloped­ia of classic Hollywood, has died. He was 84.

Osborne died Monday in New York, a publicist for the network said.

“His calming presence, gentlemanl­y style, encycloped­ic knowledge of film history, fervent support for film preservati­on and highly personal interviewi­ng style all combined to make him a truly world-class host,” said Jennifer Dorian, general manager of TCM. “Robert’s contributi­ons were fundamenta­l in shaping TCM into what it is today and we owe him a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.”

A cause of death was not announced, though Osborne’s waning health had forced him to miss the previous two TCM Film Festivals, which he hosted annually in Los Angeles.

Osborne was there from the inception of Ted Turner’s commercial-free classic movie network. To open its first broadcast on April 14, 1994, he introduced Gone With the Wind. In the decades after, he remained Turner Classic’s primary — and often sole — host.

For TCM viewers, Osborne was a constant and comforting presence. He presented nightly films and movies packaged in series such as The Essentials with bits of history and trivia. He also conducted interviews with stars for the network’s guest programmer evenings. His intros — always beginning “Hi, I’m Robert Osborne” — were the warm appetizers to numerous feasts of Hollywood classics.

In a 2014 interview with the Associated Press, Osborne — who previously worked as a Hollywood Reporter columnist and as host of the Movie Channel — recalled his long-standing obsession with Hollywood. Even in college, he maintained a black book, nicknamed “Blackie,” of his research into films and the details of their making.

Born in Colfax, Washington, Osborne studied journalism at the University of Washington and spent two years in the air force in Seattle.

He then moved to Los Angeles to make it as an actor, and was signed by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s Desilu Studios. Ball, who remained a mentor to him up until her death in 1989, encouraged Osborne to pursue writing — “especially after she saw me act,” Osborne would recall.

He joined the Hollywood Reporter in 1977 and for years wrote its Rambling Reporter column. But he found his home at TCM. To tape his segments, Osborne flew once a month from his New York home to TCM’s Atlanta studio.

Osborne was an Academy Awards historian, too. He wrote his first history of the Oscars in 1965 (Academy Awards Illustrate­d) and later became its official red-carpet greeter. He wrote several official histories of the Academy Awards, including 2008’s 80 Years of the Oscar.

 ??  ?? Robert Osborne opened TCM’s first broadcast on April 14, 1994, introducin­g Gone With the Wind.
Robert Osborne opened TCM’s first broadcast on April 14, 1994, introducin­g Gone With the Wind.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada