Gene Shalit, Longtime ‘Today Show’ Film Critic, Dies at 100
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- Gene Shalit died Friday at age 100, with his family telling NBC News he 'passed away peacefully today after 100 years of an amazing life.'
- Shalit served as the 'Today Show's' film and book critic in 'Critic's Corner' segments from 1970 until his 2010 retirement, earning fame for his signature bow ties, oversized glasses, and relentless wordplay.
- Shalit's celebrity interviews — ranging from Steven Spielberg and Helen Hayes to the Grateful Dead — drew praise from former colleague Katie Couric, who called him 'a master' who was 'completely mesmerized' by Sophia Loren.
- Shalit became a pop-culture fixture beyond the news desk, voicing 'Gene Scallop' on 'SpongeBob SquarePants,' being parodied in four 'Family Guy' episodes and on 'Saturday Night Live' (by Jon Lovitz and later Horatio Sanz), and portrayed by Eugene Levy on 'Second City Television.'
- Shalit began his career as a press agent for Dick Clark before the job ended amid a Congressional payola investigation, then pivoted to entertainment writing for Look, TV Guide, Ladies' Home Journal, and The New York Times, later authoring four humor books.
- Shalit also broadcast daily 'Man About Anything' essays on the NBC Radio Network from 1970 to 1982; he is survived by a son and daughter, while another daughter and his wife, Nancy Lewis, pre-deceased him.
Why it matters: Shalit's four-decade run on 'Today' made him one of the last nationally familiar broadcast film critics at a time when that role has largely fractured across YouTube, podcasts, and social media. His parade of animated-show parodies underscores a cultural footprint that outlasted the era that produced him — a reminder of how network morning TV once minted household names.
