Gene Shalit, the longtime Today show critic whose bow ties, huge mustache, and pun-heavy reviews made him instantly recognizable on morning television, has died. He was 100.
Shalit died Friday, June 12, his family confirmed to NBC News. People reported that his family said he “passed away peacefully” after “100 years of an amazing life.”
For nearly four decades, Shalit reviewed movies, books, plays, and performers for NBC’s Today. He turned arts criticism into a familiar part of the morning-show routine, delivering reviews with big wordplay, a bigger mustache, and a style that made him easy to spot before he said a word.
His family remembered him as a father, grandfather, and uncle whose puns were not only part of his television act, but part of life at home.
Shalit Spent Nearly Four Decades on Today
Shalit began appearing on Today part-time with his “Critic’s Corner” segment and became a full-time presence on the NBC morning show in 1973. The Associated Press reported that he remained with the program until 2010, giving him one of the longest runs of any major television film critic.
His work on Today went beyond movie reviews. He covered books, theater, interviews, and entertainment stories, but movies remained the part of the job most closely tied to his public identity.
His Look Became Part of the Job
Shalit’s appearance was almost as familiar as his reviews. He wore oversized glasses, colorful bow ties, thick hair, and a large handlebar mustache that made him a ready-made television character.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Shalit’s look and voice made him a frequent pop-culture reference. He appeared as a cartoon version of himself on SpongeBob SquarePants and was parodied or referenced on Saturday Night Live, The Critic, The Muppet Show, and Family Guy.
His Puns Were Part of His Reviews
Shalit’s reviewing style leaned heavily on wordplay. His puns could be clever, silly, or deliberately groan-worthy, but they helped separate him from the more formal newspaper and magazine critics who dominated the field before television changed the way audiences heard about movies.
AP recalled several examples from his career, including his description of Frozen as “very cool.” His approach made some critics skeptical, but it also gave morning viewers a critic whose personality was as memorable as his opinion.
He Started in Print Before NBC
Shalit was born Eugene Shalit in New York City in 1926 and grew up in New Jersey. He wrote for his high school newspaper, later worked on the student paper at the University of Illinois, and graduated from the university in 1949.
Before becoming a television fixture, Shalit built a career in print journalism. People reported that he wrote for Ladies’ Home Journal and Look, while Entertainment Weekly listed additional bylines in The New York Times, TV Guide, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen.
His Career Also Included Controversy
Shalit’s long public career included criticism over a 2006 review of Brokeback Mountain. AP reported that GLAAD condemned remarks he made about Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, and Shalit later apologized.
The controversy remained part of the public record around a critic who spent decades in front of a national audience. His Today run still made him one of the most visible entertainment commentators of his era.
His Family Remembered the Man Behind the Reviews
View this post on Instagram
Shalit married Nancy Lewis in 1950, and she died in 1978. The couple had six children, including artist Willa Shalit.
People reported that Shalit is survived by his children. In the family’s statement, they remembered his gentle guidance, his pride in his children, his loving presence, and the puns that followed him from television into family memory.