Gene Siskel
Half of America's most famous film-critic duo, whose 'thumbs up' became the ultimate stamp of movie approval.
1946–1999 (age 53)·American film critic·Birthday: January 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Gene Siskel, the Chicago Tribune's sharp, often prickly critic, never intended to become a television star. Paired with the Sun-Times's Roger Ebert for a local PBS show, their chemistry—a blend of intellectual rivalry and deep mutual respect—catapulted them to national fame. On 'Sneak Previews' and later 'At the Movies,' Siskel's analytical, sometimes severe style clashed perfectly with Ebert's more populist warmth. Their simple thumbs-up/thumbs-down verdict entered the cultural lexicon, making them the most powerful critics in America. Behind the on-screen sparring was a serious journalist who believed film mattered, demanding that movies earn their emotional payoffs. His death in 1999 left a vacant chair next to Ebert, ending a defining era in how audiences talked about cinema.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Gene was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gene Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Gene's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Died at 53
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
Key Achievements
- Co-hosted nationally syndicated film review television programs with Roger Ebert for nearly 25 years, most famously 'Siskel & Ebert'.
- Helped popularize the simple 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' shorthand for movie reviews.
- Served as the primary film critic for the Chicago Tribune from 1969 until his death.
- Won a local Emmy Award for the PBS series 'Sneak Previews,' the precursor to his syndicated shows.
Did You Know?
He was a licensed attorney, having earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School.
He and Ebert legally trademarked the phrases 'thumbs up' and 'thumbs down' for use in film reviewing.
He was a dedicated chess player and often played against Ebert during commercial breaks.
Before film criticism, he wrote for the Tribune's 'Action!' column, helping readers with problems.
““It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it.””
