Leonard Maltin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leonard Maltin
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Maltin at the March 2022 Santa Barbara International Film Festival
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| Born |
Leonard Michael Maltin
December 18, 1950 New York City, U.S.
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| Education | New York University |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1965–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Alice Tlusty
(m. 1975) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | June Foray Award (2002) Inkpot Award (2013) |
Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is a famous American film critic and film historian. This means he watches, studies, and writes about movies. He is best known for his popular book, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide. This book was a collection of short movie reviews and was published for 45 years, from 1969 to 2014.
For 30 years, from 1982 to 2012, Maltin was the film critic on the TV show Entertainment Tonight. He currently teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and hosts a weekly podcast called Maltin on Movies. He has also helped choose important films to be saved in the National Film Registry.
Maltin has written many books about movies, especially about animation. In 2021, he wrote a book about his life called Starstruck: My Unlikely Road to Hollywood. In 2022, he received the Robert Osborne Award from Turner Classic Movies for his work in sharing the love of classic films.
Contents
Early Life and Love for Movies
Leonard Maltin was born in New York City into a Jewish family and grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey. His mother, Jacqueline, was a singer, and his father, Aaron, was a lawyer.
Maltin's love for writing about movies started when he was very young. At age 13, he began writing for a magazine called Film Fan Monthly, which was all about movies from Hollywood's golden age. By the time he was 15, in 1966, he took over as the editor of the magazine and published it until 1974.
He even started a film club at Teaneck High School, where he graduated in 1968. He later went to New York University and earned a degree in journalism.
Career in Film
Writing His Famous Movie Guide
While he was still in college, a teacher introduced him to a book publisher. This led to Maltin editing his first book in 1969 when he was just 18 years old. The book was called TV Movies and gave short summaries and reviews for over 8,000 films shown on television.
The book became incredibly popular and was updated every year from 1987 to 2014. Its name changed over the years, eventually becoming Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide. In 2005, he created a separate book, Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide, just for older films made before 1960.
In 1970, he published Movie Comedy Teams, a book about famous comedy groups like Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. He also wrote for many magazines, including Variety and TV Guide.
Working on Television
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In 1982, Maltin became the film critic for the popular TV show Entertainment Tonight. He stayed on the show for 30 years, sharing his movie reviews with millions of viewers. He also hosted other TV and radio shows about movies, like Hot Ticket and Secret's Out.
Maltin was also a big fan of Disney. In 2001, he helped create the Walt Disney Treasures DVD collection, which featured classic Disney cartoons, shows, and movies. He hosted the introductions for these special DVD sets.
He left Entertainment Tonight as a regular reviewer in 2010 but still appeared on the show from time to time.
Appearing in Movies and TV Shows
Maltin is so well-known that he has even appeared as himself in movies and TV shows.
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch: In this 1990 movie, he plays a film critic who gets attacked by Gremlins after giving a bad review to the first Gremlins film. This was a joke because Maltin really did give the first movie a negative review, which he later said was a mistake.
- South Park: He was parodied in an episode called "Mecha-Streisand" where he helps fight a giant robot version of Barbra Streisand.
- Mystery Science Theater 3000: He appeared as a guest star on this comedy show, where the hosts make fun of bad movies.
- Freakazoid!: He voiced a cartoon version of himself in an episode of this animated show.
Recent Work
Maltin continues to share his love for movies. Since 2014, he has hosted the podcast Maltin on Movies, which he now co-hosts with his daughter, Jessie. On the show, they discuss different types of movies, from new releases to old classics.
From 2014 to 2019, he hosted a special program on the Turner Classic Movies channel called Treasures From the Disney Vault, where he presented classic Disney films. He has also been a key member of the Coronado Island Film Festival since 2016.
Personal Life
Maltin lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Alice Tlusty, who is a producer and researcher. They have one daughter, Jessie, who often works with him.
In 2018, Maltin shared that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a few years earlier. Parkinson's is a condition that affects movement, but Maltin has continued to work and share his passion for film.
Awards and Recognition
Leonard Maltin has received many awards for his work.
- In 2002, he received the June Foray Award for his positive effect on the animation industry.
- In 2013, he was given the Inkpot Award at Comic Con International for his contributions to the world of comics and film.
- In 2018, the City of Los Angeles declared April 24 to be "Leonard Maltin Day" to honor him.
- In 2022, he received the Robert Osborne Award at the TCM Film Festival. The award was presented to him by actor and director Warren Beatty.
See also
In Spanish: Leonard Maltin para niños
