Gene Shalit, the mustachioed movie critic who shared his reviews on NBC’s “Today” show for four decades, has died at the age of 100.
Shalit’s family confirmed his passing to NBC News on Friday, noting that he “passed away peacefully today after 100 years of an amazing life.”
Shalit began his career as a print journalist, writing articles for the New York Times and TV Guide, before joining “Today” in 1970 as a part-time contributor, moving into a full-time role three years later. Shalit was one of a wave of movie critics, like Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, who took their reviews to television in the ’70s and ’80s, weighing in on the latest Hollywood releases and wielding considerable influence over a movie’s box office chances.
Shalit stood out from the pack with his distinctive frizzy hair and mustache and his pun-filled reviews. (“‘The Silence of the Lambs’ may be all wool and a yard wide, but it makes a terrific yarn,” he said of the Oscar-winning 1991 film.) He also interviewed showbiz luminaries like Harrison Ford and Oprah Winfrey during his time on the “Today” show, appearing regularly there until he left the show in 2010. His fame led to appearances on “SpongeBob SquarePants” (as critic “Gene Scallop”) and “The Critic” as well.