Robert Osborne
| Robert Osborne | |
|---|---|
Osborne at the 2014 Peabody Awards
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| Born |
Robert Jolin Osborne May 3, 1932 Colfax, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | March 6, 2017 (aged 84) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Occupation | Actor, film historian, television presenter, author |
| Years active | 1958–2016 |
Robert Jolin Osborne (/ˈɒzbɔːrn/; May 3, 1932 – March 6, 2017) was an American actor, film historian, television presenter, and author best known as the primary host for the cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Prior to TCM, Osborne had been a host on The Movie Channel, and, earlier, a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter. Osborne also wrote the official history of the Academy Awards, originally published in 1988, and most recently revised in 2013.
Osborne was born on May 3, 1932, in the small town of Colfax, Washington, where he was raised. His parents were Robert Eugene Osborne, a public school teacher, and Hazel Ida (née Jolin). Osborne graduated from the University of Washington School of Journalism.
Osborne began his career working as a contract actor for Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's Desilu Studios. There, Osborne became part of Lucille Ball's Desilu Workshop, in which Ball worked with and nurtured such young performers as Osborne and actress-singer Carole Cook.
One of Osborne's early television appearances was in a 1959 episode of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse called "Chain of Command", starring Hugh O'Brian. He was also featured in the Christmas Day Desilu Playhouse installment "The Desilu Revue" in December 1959. He also had small roles in such TV shows as The Californians and the 1962 pilot episode of The Beverly Hillbillies, "The Clampetts Strike Oil" (in the role of Jeff Taylor). He refrained from signing on for the series, however; not thinking the show would be a success, Robert, instead, focused his attention on acting in television commercials.
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