Historian shared love of movies
He had been host since Turner Classic Movies’ 1994 debut.
R o b e r t O s b o r n e , w h o displayed an encyclopedic knowledge — and love — of films and film history as the primary host of Turner Classic Movies, has died in New York, the network said Monday. He was 84.
Osborne was a former longtime columnist for the Hollywood Reporter and the author of the official history of the Academy Awards. The genial, silver-haired and dapper Osborne was a bonafide movie connoisseur, who displayed his wide knowledge of films on TCM since the 2 4- hour c ommercial- f re e cable net work’s launch in 1994.
“Hi, I’m Robert Osborne,” he’d cordially greet viewers from a stylish living room set and quickly begin serving up fascinating information and insider trivia about the movie about to be shown.
At the end of each film, he offered his closing remarks.
A resident of New York City since the late 1980s, Osborne would generally fly to Atlanta once a month to shoot a series of opening and closing segments for upcoming films.
B e s i d e s h o s t i n g m o v - ies seven evenings a week, Osborne hosted special oneon-one “Private Screening” interviews with stars as well as directors.
He also co -hosted films considered “The Essentials,” most recently with actress Drew Barrymore. And he co-hosted the “Guest Programmer” series, with guests such as Mia Farrow, Buck Henry and Hugh Hefner.
O s b o r n e s e r v e d a s t h e main host of the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and shared his knowledge of film history with fellow passengers on the annual TCM Film Cruise. He took over veteran Variety columnist Army Archerd’s role as red carpet celebrity greeter at the Oscar ceremony in 2006, the same year Osborne received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Osborne was born May 3, 1932, in Colfax, Wash., a small farming town, where he found escape at the movies. He majored in journalism at the University of Washington and then spent two years in the Air Force. While stationed in Seattle, he began acting in local theater in his spare time. He headed to Hollywood after completing the service in the late ’50s.
In Hollywood, Osborne quickly landed a six-month contract at 20th Century Fox and then joined a new contract-player group at Desilu studios under Lucille Ball.
Osborne had small parts in TV series such as “The Californians” and played banker Drysdale’s young assistant in the pilot episode of “The Beverly Hillbillies” in 1962.
Ball, impressed with his education and his knowledge of movie history, ultimately advised him not to stick with acting.
Osborne’s first book, “Academy Awards Illustrated,” was published in 1965.