Person
Biography
Robert Osborne was known to millions as the longtime host of Turner Classic Movies (or TCM), and it was his love of movies that brought him to the Pillow for three memorable occasions. A 2003 series in the Doris Duke Theatre called Dance Movies included an evening devoted to the Marge and Gower Champion vehicle, Three for the Show, and Osborne hosted a pre-screening interview with Marge Champion for this occasion. In 2014, Osborne returned for two special interviews in connection with the movie poster exhibit, Gotta Dance. He shared his memories of some of the films represented in a PillowTalk, then returned the next day to show clips from some Marge Champion films and interview the lady herself in connection with her 95th birthday. All three of these fascinating events are now a part of the permanent collection in the Pillow Archives. Born in Colfax, Washington, Osborne’s early acting ambitions were encouraged by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who employed him in the early 1960s. It was Ball who urged him to write about movies, and he soon became a critic and commentator for The Hollywood Reporter. He was hired as TCM’s first host in 1994 and remained in that post until his death on March 6, 2017 at age 84.
Source of Biography
Written by Norton Owen for Jacob's Pillow Remembers.