Former ‘Today’ film critic Gene Shalit dies at 100

Gene Shalit, the exuberant film critic whose booming voice, bushy hair, sweeping mustache and brightly colored bow ties made him one of television’s most recognizable reviewers during a four-decade run on NBC’s “Today” show, has died. He was 100.

Shalit died Friday, June 12, 2026. His family said he died peacefully after what they called “100 years of an amazing life.”

For generations of morning television viewers, Shalit was less a conventional critic than a one-man show. He reviewed movies, books and plays with an outsized sense of fun, mixing serious opinion with groan-worthy puns, theatrical delivery and a style that made him impossible to mistake for anyone else. His “Today” segments helped bring film criticism into the everyday routines of millions of Americans.

Born March 25, 1926, in New York City and raised in Morristown, New Jersey, Shalit developed an early love of words, performance and popular culture. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1949 and built a broad career in journalism before becoming a national television personality. He wrote for publications including Look, Ladies’ Home Journal, TV Guide and The New York Times, and also worked in radio.

Shalit joined “Today” as a contributor in 1970 and became a regular critic in 1973. Over the years, he reviewed thousands of films and interviewed many of the biggest names in entertainment. His style was warm, witty and unmistakably his own, favoring wordplay and personality over the colder tone of the traditional critic.

His fame extended well beyond the review desk. Shalit appeared on game shows, became a frequent subject of parody and turned up in pop culture references on programs including “The Muppet Show,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Family Guy” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.” He also wrote books, including “Laughing Matters” and “Great Hollywood Wit.”

Shalit retired from “Today” in 2010, closing a television career that had made him a familiar morning presence for more than 40 years.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy Lewis, who died in 1978. Survivors include six children.

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