Harry Knowles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harry Knowles
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Knowles at July 2010 San Diego Comic-Con
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| Born |
Harry Jay Knowles
December 11, 1971 Austin, Texas, U.S.
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| Occupation | Film critic, writer |
| Years active | 1994-2017 |
| Spouse(s) |
Patricia Cho Jones
(m. 2007) |
Harry Jay Knowles (born December 11, 1971) is an American writer and former film critic. He is best known for creating his website, Ain't It Cool News (AICN). Knowles was part of the Austin Film Critics Association until September 2017.
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Early Life and Beginnings
Harry Jay Knowles was born in Austin, Texas. His parents were Jarrell Jay Knowles and Helen Jane (Harrison) Knowles. They separated in 1983.
In 1996, Knowles had an accident that injured his back. While recovering at home, he started writing online. This led to his career in film criticism.
His Career in Film
Knowles' first job in the media was writing weekend box office reports. He sent these reports to the Drudge Report. In 1996, he started his own website, "Ain't It Cool News." The name came from a line in the movie Broken Arrow.
Appearing in the Media
Because his website became very popular, Knowles was often featured in mainstream media. He appeared in magazines, newspapers, and on TV news. In 2000, Forbes magazine listed him among the top 100 celebrities.
Knowles also made guest appearances on TV shows. These included Siskel & Ebert & the Movies and Politically Incorrect. He was also in a documentary called For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism. In this film, he talked about how important online film criticism is.
Film Events He Helped Create
His Film Marathon (BNAT)
From 1999 to 2016, Knowles hosted a special film event. It was held around his birthday in December. This event was a 24-hour movie marathon. It showed new films before they were released and old classic movies.
Film fans and professionals came from all over the world to attend. The event took place in Austin at the South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse. It was known as a very exclusive and secretive film celebration. After certain issues arose in September 2017, the Alamo Drafthouse ended its connection with Knowles.
Fantastic Fest
Knowles also helped start the annual Fantastic Fest. This film festival is held in Austin. He co-founded it in 2005 with Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies. McCanlies wrote The Iron Giant and Secondhand Lions.
The festival focuses on specific types of movies. These include horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, Asian, and cult cinema. It happens every September at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. In September 2017, AICN was no longer a sponsor of the festival. Soon after, the Alamo Drafthouse ended all business ties with Knowles.
Personal Life
Harry Knowles married Patricia Cho Jones on July 15, 2007. Their wedding was held at Green Pastures in Austin.
In 2008, Knowles shared that he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In 2011, he had emergency surgery on his spine. He said the surgery helped him regain feeling in his legs. He then began physical therapy to learn to walk again.
Film Appearances
Knowles has appeared in several films. Sometimes he played a small role or was featured as himself.
- The Ballad of the Sad Café (1991)
- Colin Fitz Lives! (1997)
- The Faculty (1998)
- Monkeybone (2001)
- Ghosts of Mars (2001)
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
- No Pain, No Gain (2005)
- Pathogen (2006)
- Zombie Girl: The Movie (2008)
- My Sucky Teen Romance (2011)
- Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (2011)
Portrayals in Movies
In the 2009 movie Fanboys, actor Ethan Suplee played a character based on Harry Knowles.
