Kenneth Turan | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 27, 1946 |
| Nationality | United States |
| Education | B.A. Swarthmore College M.A. Columbia University |
| Occupation | Film critic Author Lecturer |
Kenneth Turan (/təˈræn/; born October 27, 1946) is an American retired film critic, author, and lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California.
Early life and education
Turan was raised in an observant Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York.[1] He received a bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College and a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.[2][3]
Career
Before becoming a film critic, Turan was a staff writer for The Washington Post.[4]
Turan was a film critic for The Progressive, a magazine published in Madison, Wisconsin,and in 1991 he became a film critic for The Los Angeles Times. In 1993, he was named the director of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes.
Turan announced his retirement from The Los Angeles Times on March 25, 2020.[5]
He is featured in the documentary For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism discussing his public quarrel with film director James Cameron, who e-mailed the Los Angeles Times' editors calling for Turan to be fired after he wrote a negative review of Titanic.[6]
Turan founded the KUSC radio program Arts Alive. He provides regular movie reviews for NPR's Morning Edition and serves on the board of directors of the Yiddish Book Center.
Publications
- Not to Be Missed: Fifty-Four Favorites From a Lifetime of Film (2014)
- Free for All: Joe Papp, the Public, and the Greatest Theater Story Ever Told (2009) with Joseph Papp
- Now In Theaters Everywhere. (2006)
- Never Coming To A Theater Near You. (2004)
- Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Made. (2002)
- Call Me ismale: The Autobiography of ismale. (1987)
- I'd Rather Be Wright: Memoirs of an itinerant Tackle. (1974)
- Sinema: American Pornographic Films and the People Who Make Them. (1974)
- The Future is Now: George Allen, Pro Football's Most Controversial Coach. with William Gildea (1972)
Awards
- 2006: Special Citation. National Society of Film Critics Awards.
References
- ^ Jewish Journal: "Turan’s pick of pics" by Jonathan Kirsch May 28, 2014
- ^ "Kenneth Turan, NPR Biography". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
- ^ "Kenneth Turan". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (2 June 1974). "The Fall and Rise of an Ex-Communist: The 20 Yeat Struggle of Maurice Braverman, Ex-Convict, Attorney at Law" (PDF). The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ "Kenneth Turan on Twitter".
- ^ For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism at the TCM Movie Database
External links
- NPR biography
- USC Kenneth Turan
- Kenneth Turan at IMDb