Roeper, Richard 1959-

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Roeper, Richard 1959-

PERSONAL:

Born October 17, 1959, in Chicago, IL; son of Robert and Margaret Roeper. Education: Illinois State University, B.A., 1982.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Chicago, IL. Office—Chicago Sun-Times, 401 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-5642. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Columnist and film critic. Freelance writer, 1982-87; Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, IL, syndicated columnist, 1987—; Fox Thing in the Morning, WFLD-TV, Chicago, commentator for seven years; Ebert & Roeper (syndicated television show), cohost and film critic, 2000-; WBBM-CBS 2, Chicago, film critic, 2002-05. Has also served as radio talk-show host on WLS-FM and WLUP-FM and panelist on National Public Radio's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! Has made guest appearances on television shows, including Regis & Kelly, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The Best Damn Sports Show.

MEMBER:

American Federation of TV & Radio Artists, Chicago Newspaper Guild.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Outstanding Columnist, Illinois Press Association, 1992; National Headliner award for top columnist, Atlantic City Press Club, 1992; Emmy award, 1994.

WRITINGS:

(With Laurie Viera) He Rents, She Rents: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Women's Films and Guy Movies, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 1999.

Urban Legends: The Truth behind All Those Deliciously Entertaining Myths That Are Absolutely, Positively, 100% Not True!, Career Press (Franklin Lakes, NJ), 1999, revised edition, New Page Books (Franklin Lakes, NJ), 2001.

Hollywood Urban Legends: The Truth behind All Those Delightfully Persistent Myths of Film, Television, and Music, New Page Books (Franklin Lakes, NJ), 2001.

Ten Sure Signs a Movie Character Is Doomed, and Other Surprising Movie Lists, Hyperion (New York, NY), 2003.

Schlock Value: Hollywood at Its Worst, Hyperion (New York, NY), 2004.

Sox and the City: A Fan's Love Affair with the White Sox from the Heartbreak of '67 to the Wizards of Oz, Chicago Review Press (Chicago, IL), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including USA Today, TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, and Esquire.

SIDELIGHTS:

A widely read columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper doubles as a film critic alongside Roger Ebert on the influential movie review show Ebert & Roeper. Roeper joined Ebert on the set in 2000, one year after the death of Gene Siskel, Ebert's friend and longtime television cohost. "After Gene passed away Roger had about thirty different people that came on and basically auditioned to be his partner," Roeper told White Sox Interactive interviewer Mark Liptak. "One day he called me up and said to come fill in. I thought it would be a blast and said sure. That show was a lot of fun, and I got asked to come back again next week, then I was asked to come back again. Finally, after about ten weeks I was offered the job." "He just felt right," Ebert told People contributor Champ Clark. "Natural, at ease, able to give as good as he got." Though Roeper came from a journalistic background, the pairing has proven successful; Chicago Tribune contributor Steve Johnson called Ebert & Roeper "still valuable, one of the very few programs about Hollywood that dares to challenge Hollywood."

In addition to his newspaper and television work, Roeper is the author of a number of books about pop culture, including Hollywood Urban Legends: The Truth behind All Those Delightfully Persistent Myths of Film, Television, and Music, in which he addresses the rumor that John Wayne was a draft dodger, and Ten Sure Signs a Movie Character Is Doomed, and Other Surprising Movie Lists, which contains such irreverent fare as "11 Movies That Employed James Brown's ‘(I Got You) I Feel Good’ to Indicate That a Character Feels Good!" In Schlock Value: Hollywood at Its Worst, a collection of humorous essays about the downside of the film world, Roeper offers his opinions about such topics as overhyped stars, film clichés, concession stand prices, Academy Award speeches, and the use of critics' blurbs to advertise movies. "Roeper's relaxed writing style, informal and witty, makes for an easy yet engaging read," noted a critic in Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal reviewer Jamie Watson wrote, "for those who love films, Roeper's book dishes the dirt, but lovingly."

A lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox, Roeper offers an informal history of his favorite team in Sox and the City: A Fan's Love Affair with the White Sox from the Heartbreak of '67 to the Wizards of Oz. Raised on Chicago's South Side, Roeper attended his first game in 1966 and followed the squad through numerous ups and downs before the Sox captured the World Series in 2005. Along with his discussion of the team's fortunes, the author "neatly intersperses a social history of the city's postwar years," noted Booklist reviewer Alan Moores. According to School Library Journal contributor Will Marston, Roeper's tale "can prove enjoyable to anyone who loves a good story."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Roeper, Richard, Ten Sure Signs a Movie Character Is Doomed, and Other Surprising Movie Lists, Hyperion (New York, NY), 2003.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August 1, 2006, Alan Moores, review of Sox and the City: A Fan's Love Affair with the White Sox from the Heartbreak of '67 to the Wizards of Oz, p. 26.

Chicago, October 1, 2000, "Critic Cornered," p. 30.

Chicago Tribune, November 21, 2000, Steve Johnson, "It's Not Siskel & Ebert, but Show Still Champions Film as Art Form."

Crain's Chicago Business, August 7, 2000, Brian McCormick, "In Search of a New Chemistry," p. 65.

Entertainment Weekly, September 1, 2000, William Keck, "Behind the Roeper," p. 65; September 22, 2000, Ken Tucker, "Rule of Thumb."

Library Journal, February 1, 2005, Anthony J. Adam, review of Schlock Value: Hollywood at Its Worst, p. 81.

People, September 25, 2000, Champ Clark, "Tube," p. 31.

Publishers Weekly, March 22, 1999, review of He Rents, She Rents: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Women's Films and Guy Movies, p. 84; September 13, 1999, review of Urban Legends: The Truth behind All Those Deliciously Entertaining Myths That Are Absolutely, Positively, 100% Not True!, p. 75; January 10, 2005, review of Schlock Value, p. 49.

School Library Journal, July, 2005, Jamie Watson, review of Schlock Value, p. 134; August, 2006, Will Marston, review of Sox and the City, p. 146.

TelevisionWeek, January 24, 2005, Lee Alan Hill, "A Brand Nurtured for Three Decades," p. 46.