Leonard Maltin is a renowned film critic, with a career spanning over five decades. He is best known for his annual paperback reference, "Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide", which has become an indispensable tool for movie lovers.
Born on December 18th, 1950, in New York City, Maltin grew up in suburban Teaneck, New Jersey. He credits his early exposure to old movies on New York television and his access to the city's famous revival theaters and the Museum of Modern Art with his "basic training" in film history.
Maltin attended New York University as a journalism major and quickly became the entertainment editor of the campus' daily newspaper. He and a friend published their own home-grown magazine, which evolved into a mimeographed publication called "Profile", reflecting Leonard's growing interest in show business and film history.
At the age of 13, Maltin volunteered his services as a writer to two fanzines: "The 8mm Collector" and "Film Fan Monthly". Two years later, he assumed responsibility for "Film Fan Monthly" and continued publishing it for the next nine years.
The magazine inspired an English teacher to suggest that Maltin meet a friend of hers who was an editor at Signet Books. This meeting led to an offer for Maltin to compile a paperback compendium of capsule movie reviews, which was published in 1969 when Maltin was 18 and a freshman at NYU.
Maltin has written several other books, including "The Best 151 Movies You've Never Seen", "The Disney Films", "Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons", and "The Great American Broadcast: A Celebration of Radio's Golden Age".
He has been teaching at the USC School of Cinematic Arts for the last 15 years, where he screens new films prior to their release and conducts Q&A sessions with the filmmakers. His students have included top writers and directors, as well as costume and production designers, editors, composers, cinematographers, casting directors, and other creative collaborators.
Maltin's reviews and signature on-air interviewing style can be seen on his weekly program, "Maltin on Movies", on ReelzChannel, where he has appeared since the channel went on the air. He also previews movies-on-demand on Comcast and appears occasionally on "Turner Classic Movies".
In addition to his work in film criticism, Maltin is a prolific freelance writer, whose articles have appeared in "The New York Times", "The Los Angeles Times", "The London Times", "Smithsonian", "TV Guide", "Esquire", "The Village Voice", and "American Film". He has contributed to Oxford University Press' "American National Biography" and was the film critic for "Playboy" magazine for six years.
Maltin has also created, hosted, and co-produced the popular "Walt Disney Treasures" DVD series and appeared on Warner Home Video's "Night at the Movies" features. He has written a number of television specials, including "Fantasia: The Creation of a Disney Classic" and has hosted, produced, and written video documentaries and compilations such as "The Making of 'The Quiet Man'", "The Making of 'High Noon'", and "Cartoons for Big Kids".
In 2006, Maltin was named by the Librarian of Congress to join the Board of Directors of the National Film Preservation Foundation. He has received awards and citations from the American Society of Cinematographers, Anthology Film Archives, The Society of Cinephiles, and the Telluride Film Festival.
