Gene Siskel

Gene Siskel was born on January 26, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois, USA as Eugene Kal Siskel. He was married to Marlene Siskel.

Grew up in the Chicago North Shore town of Glencoe, Illinois. Graduated from Culver Military Academy (Battery A) in 1963.

His favorite movie of all-time was Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964).

While being guests with Roger Ebert at an episode of Donahue (1967) in the early 1990s, the two critics were asked what was the worst film they have seen. Siskel launched into tirade about how much he detested Drop Dead Fred (1991), while Ebert picked I Spit on Your Grave (1978).

One month after being hired as the Chicago Tribune's film critic, he wrote a negative review for the popular Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). His boss came by his desk and noticed the review and and asked Gene: "How could you give a Paul Newman movie a negative review." He distinctly remembered that day.

Says he has only ever walked out of three movies in his career as a film critic. The movies were The Million Dollar Duck (1971), Maniac (1980), and Black Sheep (1996).

Purchased the white disco suit from Saturday Night Fever (1977) at a charity auction.

In his review for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), he said he could hardly wait for the next Star Wars movie. He died just three months before the release of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).

Considered the film Cannonball Run II (1984) to be the worst movie he had ever seen.

Selected The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) as the two best films of 1988, despite not awarding either film a perfect four stars. But movies lower on his list did get a perfect score by him.

Agreed with long-time colleague Roger Ebert on the best film of 1990 (Goodfellas (1990)) and the worst films of 1980 (I Spit on Your Grave (1978)) and 1994 (North (1994)).

Was one of the few critics to give the Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs (1991) a negative review.

While praising the film School Ties (1992) on his show with Roger Ebert, he recalled experiencing anti-Semitic prejudice during his time at prep school. The example he gave was that one time someone handed him a piece of toast with the jam in the shape of a swastika. He gave thumbs up to movie but said that it was a tough experience watching it.

One of his proudest moments was when viewing the Chris Farley-David Spade vehicle Black Sheep (1996), he walked out right before the end for the first time in 27 years, saying "It was a real high." Later on the show, Roger remarked he wished he had done the same. There was some controversy over his claim that he hadn't walked out on a movie in 27 years because he had mentioned walking out on other films in the period between them, most memorably the 1980 ultraviolent slasher film "Maniac". However, he later clarified that he hadn't walked out any films he had been assigned to cover for either the Chicago Tribune or his TV shows with Roger Ebert; the films he'd left in disgust were those that he and Ebert included in their show as "Dogs of the Week", movies that were not covered through their regular writing tasks. "Black Sheep" was the 1st film that was assigned as a feature review for his column and TV show AND that drove him in disgust from seeing the entire film.

He was one of the few people along with Roger Ebert to like Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997). He received a lot of flak for it.

The last five movies he reviewed on At the Movies (1986) before his death (for the week ending 23 January 1999) were At First Sight (1999), Another Day in Paradise (1998), The Hi-Lo Country (1998), Playing by Heart (1998) and The Theory of Flight (1998). He gave a thumbs up to all of them, except for Playing by Heart (1998).

Once told David Letterman that if he were trapped on a deserted island with only one film to watch, that film would be 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).