Kenneth Turan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenneth Turan
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Turan in 2014
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| Born | October 27, 1946 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Swarthmore College (BA) Columbia University (MA) |
| Occupation | Film critic, author, lecturer |
Kenneth Turan (born October 27, 1946) is an American who used to be a film critic. A film critic watches movies and shares their opinions about them. He also wrote books and taught at the University of Southern California. From 1991 to 2020, he was the main film critic for the Los Angeles Times newspaper. Many people in Hollywood, where movies are made, read his reviews.
Kenneth Turan's Early Life
Kenneth Turan grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His family was Jewish. He went to Swarthmore College and earned a bachelor's degree. Later, he studied journalism at Columbia University and got a master's degree.
Turan's Career Journey
Kenneth Turan started his writing career around the 1970s. Before he became a film critic, he worked for The Washington Post newspaper. He wrote for them from 1969 to 1978. For a short time in 1971, he was a sportswriter. By 1976, he became a feature writer, writing longer stories.
Turan also wrote movie reviews for other magazines. These included The Progressive, TV Guide, California magazine, and GQ. In 1991, he joined The Los Angeles Times as their film critic. In 1993, he became the director of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes.
Around the year 2000, Turan started working with NPR. NPR is a public radio network. He covered the Cannes Film Festival for them. Later, he became a regular film critic for NPR's Morning Edition show. He also started a radio program called Arts Alive on KUSC radio.
Turan announced he was retiring from The Los Angeles Times on March 25, 2020. The last movie he reviewed was a German film called Balloon.
Kenneth Turan was also in a documentary film. It was called For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism (2009). In the film, he talked about a disagreement he had with film director James Cameron. Turan wrote a very critical review of Cameron's movie Titanic (1997). Cameron was upset and sent an email to the newspaper. He asked them to fire Turan because he didn't like the review.
Awards and Recognition
Kenneth Turan has received several awards for his work:
- 2006: Special Citation from the National Society of Film Critics Awards.
- 2013: Luminary Award for Career Achievement from the Los Angeles Press Club.
- 2014: Media Legacy Award from the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival.
