# Richard Roeper

Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American writer and former columnist and film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, where he wrote for 37 years dating back to 1988. He co-hosted the television series At the Movies with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's successor. From 2010 to 2014, he co-hosted The Roe and Roeper Show with Roe Conn on WLS-AM. From October 2015 to October 2017, Roeper served as the host of the FOX 32 morning show Good Day Chicago.

## Early life

Roeper was born in Chicago, Illinois, one of four children to Robert and Margaret (nee Slobatec) Roeper. He grew up in south suburban Dolton, Illinois and attended Thornridge High School before graduating from Illinois State University in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. While still a student at the university, he auditioned for the movie review program Sneak Previews when Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert (his future co-host on At the Movies) left the program, for which he was turned down.

## Career

Roeper began working as a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1986. The topics of his columns ranged from politics to media to entertainment. He has been voted the best columnist in Illinois by the Associated Press on numerous occasions.
He has also written seven books on topics ranging from movies to urban legends to conspiracy theories to the Chicago White Sox. In 2009, Roeper appeared on Howard Stern's show and said he had written a book on gambling, entitled Bet the House, which was released in the first quarter of 2010.
Roeper was a radio host on WLS AM 890 in Chicago. He also hosted shows on WLUP-FM, WLS-FM, and WMVP-AM in Chicago.In the early 2000s, he was the film critic for CBS in Chicago for three years.
His columns have been syndicated by The New York Times to worldwide publications. Roeper has written for a number of magazines, including Esquire, Spy, TV Guide, Playboy, Maxim, and Entertainment Weekly. In 2001, he was named one of People magazine's most eligible bachelors.
Roeper has been a frequent guest on The Tonight Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, The O'Reilly Factor, and countless other national programs. He also hosted Starz Inside, a monthly documentary series that aired on the Starz network. Roeper appeared on the first episode of the fifth season of Entourage, where he reviewed a fake movie titled Medellin with Michael Phillips on At the Movies. In April 2008, Roeper was the central figure on an episode of Top Chef, where contestants served up movie-themed dishes to Roeper and his friends (including Aisha Tyler).
In February 2009, Roeper launched his website, which features movie reviews, blog entries, photos, and Twitter posts. In December 2009, he launched a video section that featured on-camera reviews of movies. The video segments were originally produced in partnership with the Starz premium cable channel. Roeper announced that the reviews would appear first on his site, then on the Starz channel.
In December 2009, it was reported that Roeper had signed with ReelzChannel to be a regular contributor. Beginning in December 2010, Roeper began producing video reviews for ReelzChannel. He stopped reviewing movies for ReelzChannel in February 2015; his final review was for the Jude Law disaster film Black Sea.
From April 12, 2010, to October 7, 2014, he co-hosted The Roe & Roeper Show with Roe Conn on Chicago's WLS 890 radio station from 2-6 pm CST.
In October 2015, Roeper joined the cast of the Fox Chicago morning TV show Good Day Chicago. He signed off from that morning TV show on October 18, 2017.
Roeper was suspended from the Sun-Times on January 29, 2018, pending an investigation into allegations that he had purchased Twitter followers. On February 2, the Sun-Times released a statement stating that their investigation did find that Roeper purchased over 25,000 fake followers. The paper later reinstated him, though he was required to begin using a new account on which he was explicitly disallowed from buying followers.

### Film critic

After Gene Siskel of Siskel & Ebert died on February 20, 1999, Roger Ebert co-hosted the show with nearly 30 guest critics. After ten appearances on the program, Roeper was offered the opportunity to co-host the popular film review show with Ebert permanently. The series was renamed Ebert & Roeper and the Movies in 2000. The title was shortened to Ebert & Roeper in 2001. Before this, he conducted an interview in 1995 with Siskel and Ebert to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their partnership.
Beginning in August 2006, while his co-host Roger Ebert was recovering from cancer surgery, Roeper was joined by numerous guest critics, including Clerks director Kevin Smith, The Tonight Show host Jay Leno, and singer-songwriter John Mellencamp. On Sunday, July 20, 2008, Roeper announced that he was leaving the show in mid-August and would return with a new show later in the year. However, plans for a new program starring Roeper failed to materialize.
Between 2009 and late 2010, Roeper contributed video reviews to Starz. In December 2010, he moved to ReelzChannel, where he contributed a segment titled Richard Roeper's Reviews every weekday at 5:00 pm ET. Roeper remained with the network until early 2015. In early 2013, Roeper began contributing film reviews to RogerEbert.com. On September 12, 2013, it was announced that Roeper will replace Roger Ebert as the main movie critic for the Chicago Sun-Times after his death on April 4, 2013 at the age of 70. In August 2014, Roeper became first-string film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, where he made his debut reviewing Guardians of the Galaxy. He is a member of Chicago Film Critics Association.
On March 19, 2025, Roeper revealed that he accepted a buyout from the Sun-Times to terminate his employment, ending his time at the newspaper after a 37-year run.

## Preferences
### Favorites

Roeper has cited The Maltese Falcon, The Godfather trilogy, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off as among his favorite films. On Ferris Bueller's Day Off he stated that, "It has one of the highest 'repeatability' factors of any film I've ever seen...I can watch it again and again. There's also this, and I say in all sincerity: Ferris Bueller's Day Off is something of a suicide prevention film or, at the very least, a story about a young man trying to help his friend gain some measure of self-worth...Ferris has made it his mission to show Cameron that the whole world in front of him is passing him by and that life can be pretty sweet if you wake up and embrace it. That's the lasting message of Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Roeper pays homage to the film with a license plate that says "SVFRRIS".
In a 2000 interview, he cited Woody Allen as a hero of filmmaking. Among his favorite films from the 1990s are Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, Heat, Good Will Hunting, and Notting Hill. In November 2004, on a special segment of Ebert & Roeper, Roeper stated that his all-time favorite film about Thanksgiving is Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

### Best films of the year

Since 2000, Roeper has compiled an annual film list which provides an overview of his critical preferences.
| Year | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 |
| 2000 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Traffic | The Claim | The Contender | Wonder Boys | Finding Forrester | You Can Count on Me | Sunshine | Cast Away | Almost Famous |
| 2001 | Memento | Vanilla Sky | Mulholland Drive | A Beautiful Mind | In the Bedroom | Amores perros | Dinner Rush | Happy Accidents | The Deep End | Shallow Hal |
| 2002 | Gangs of New York | 25th Hour | Minority Report | Y Tu Mamá También | Adaptation | Signs | Rabbit-Proof Fence | About Schmidt | One Hour Photo | About a Boy |
| 2003 | In America | Mystic River | Lost in Translation | 21 Grams | Elephant | The Barbarian Invasions | The Station Agent | Whale Rider | Monster | Seabiscuit |
| 2004 | Hotel Rwanda | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | The Aviator | Sideways | House of Flying Daggers | Million Dollar Baby | The Terminal | Kill Bill: Volume 2 | Spanglish | Collateral |
| 2005 | Syriana | The New World | Crash | Munich | Nine Lives | Capote | Brokeback Mountain | A History of Violence | Walk the Line | The 40-Year-Old Virgin |
| 2006 | The Departed | The Queen | Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima | United 93 | The Lives of Others | Babel | Notes on a Scandal | The Good Shepherd | Little Miss Sunshine | Blood Diamond |
| 2007 | Michael Clayton | No Country for Old Men | The Lookout | Juno | American Gangster | Gone Baby Gone | Zodiac | Superbad | Once | Paris, je t'aime |
| 2008 | Slumdog Millionaire | The Dark Knight | The Wrestler | In Bruges | I've Loved You So Long | Gran Torino | Milk | The Visitor | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Frozen River |
| 2009 | Brothers | Up in the Air | The Hurt Locker | (500) Days of Summer | Inglourious Basterds | Up | Avatar | Adventureland | An Education | The Informant! |
| 2000s | The Departed | In America | Traffic | Memento | House of Flying Daggers | Mystic River | Slumdog Millionaire | 25th Hour | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Hotel Rwanda |
| 2010 | Inception | The Fighter | The Social Network | The Kids Are All Right | The Town | Toy Story 3 | 127 Hours | True Grit | The King's Speech | Somewhere |
| 2011 | Drive | The Artist | Contagion | The Tree of Life | The Descendants | Young Adult | Source Code | Moneyball | The Beaver | Hugo |
| 2012 | Zero Dark Thirty | Argo | The Grey | Life of Pi | The Dark Knight Rises | Django Unchained | Flight | The Sessions | Prometheus | Lincoln |
| 2013 | American Hustle | Out of the Furnace | Mud | Gravity | The Spectacular Now | Captain Phillips | Nebraska | All Is Lost | 12 Years a Slave | The Counselor |
| 2014 | Boyhood | Interstellar | Locke | Birdman | The Drop | Whiplash | A Most Wanted Man | Foxcatcher | A Most Violent Year | Guardians of the Galaxy |
| 2015 | Room | Inside Out | The Revenant | The Big Short | Mad Max: Fury Road | The Hateful Eight | Sicario | Spotlight | Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens | Straight Outta Compton |
| 2016 | Manchester by the Sea | Hell or High Water | Moonlight | La La Land | Sully | Lights Out | Zootopia | The Infiltrator | Silence | Arrival |
| 2017 | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | The Post | Wind River | Dunkirk | Baby Driver | Blade Runner 2049 | The Big Sick | Molly's Game | It | Detroit |
| 2018 | Widows | Roma | BlacKkKlansman | Leave No Trace | Lean on Pete | A Star Is Born | Black Panther | Blindspotting | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | Mission: Impossible – Fallout |
| 2019 | The Irishman | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | The Farewell | Uncut Gems | Waves | Booksmart | Fast Color | Little Women | Parasite | Queen & Slim |
| 2010s | The Social Network | Boyhood | Widows | The Irishman | Mad Max: Fury Road | Room | Moonlight | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | American Hustle |
| 2020 | Nomadland | The Trial of the Chicago 7 | News of the World | Soul | Da 5 Bloods | The Midnight Sky | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Saint Frances | Let Them All Talk | Palm Springs |
| 2021 | Belfast | Licorice Pizza | West Side Story | Pig | The Card Counter | Those Who Wish Me Dead | Old Henry | In the Heights | The Harder They Fall | A Quiet Place: Part II |
| 2022 | The Whale | The Banshees of Inisherin | Aftersun | Nope | To Leslie | X and Pearl | Emily the Criminal | Tár | The Black Phone | The Fabelmans |
| 2023 | Oppenheimer | Killers of the Flower Moon | Air | The Killer | Maestro | May December | Dream Scenario | The Color Purple | Joy Ride | Barbie |
| 2024 | Small Things Like These | Anora | Fancy Dance | Babygirl | September 5 | A Complete Unknown | Challengers | Sing Sing | His Three Daughters | Nosferatu |

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000-2008 | At the Movies | Host/Guest Host | 411 episodes |
| 2000; 2006 | Chicago Tonight | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Guest | Episode: "Roger Ebert & Richard Roeper/Bernie Mac/Tara MacLean" |
| 2000 | Charlie Rose | Guest | 1 episode |
| 2001-2013 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Guest | 23 episodes |
| 2001 | The Daily Show | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2003-2008 | E! True Hollywood Story | Himself | 4 episodes |
| 2003 | Sex at 24 Frames Per Second | Interviewee | |
| 2004 | 101 Biggest Celebrity Oops | Himself | |
| 2004 | 101 Most Unforgettable SNL Moments | Himself | |
| 2004 | Retrosexual: The 80's | Himself | |
| 2004 | Non-Denominational All-Star Celebrity Holiday Special | Himself | |
| 2004 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Dennis Miller | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2005 | The Factor | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2005 | The Tony Danza Show | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Supertwink | Himself | Uncredited |
| 2006 | The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... | Himself | Episode: "Bob Knight for his repeated outbursts" |
| 2006 | 2006 Independent Spirit Awards | Audience Member | |
| 2006 | Howard Stern On Demand | Judge | Episode: "The Howard Stern Film Festival" |
| 2007-2008 | Live with Regis and Kelly | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Heckler | Himself | |
| 2008 | An Evening at the Academy Awards | Co-Host | |
| 2008 | Top Chef | Guest Judge | Episode: "Film Food" |
| 2008 | Entourage | Himself | Episode: "Fantasy Island" |
| 2009-2010 | Richard Roeper & the Movies | Himself | 85 episodes |
| 2009 | This Is Our Moment: Election Night 2008 | Commentator | |
| 2009 | The Hour | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Don't You Forget Me | Himself | |
| 2009 | The Jay Leno Show | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Clarkworld | Himself | |
| 2010-2011 | ReelzChannel Spotlight | Host | 5 episodes |
| 2010-2011 | Hollywood's Top Ten | Reelz Channel Movie Reviewer | 9 episodes |
| 2010 | Richard Roeper's Reviews | Himself | 5 episodes |
| 2010 | Prime 9 | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2011-2013 | ReelzChannel Specials | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Madzilla! | Himself | |
| 2015-2017 | Poker Night in America | Himself | 17 episodes |
| 2015-2018 | Roeper's Reviews | Himself | 162 episodes |
| 2016 | The Timeline | Himself | Episode: "The Fog Bowl" |
| 2020 | Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies | Himself | |