Charles Champlin Biography

Fast Facts

• Joined the U․S․ Army's Enlisted Reserve Corps at Harvard University in 1944 and served in World War II in 1945
• Received the 1985 Writers Guild of America Valentine Davies Award
• In 1992, he won the Directors Guild of America Honorary Life Member Award
• In 1991, he won the American Society of Cinematographers Board of Governors Award
• Graduated from Harvard University with a degree in English in 1948
• Despite becoming legally blind from macular degeneration in 1999, he continued to contribute to The Los Angeles Times and wrote two more books
• Before becoming a film critic, he worked as a writer for Life and Time magazines for 17 years
• Quote: "It's just that you like [filmmakers] in many cases․ It's painful to say a movie is a disaster․ It pains you to do it, but you have to do it․ All you have going for you as a critic is your credibility․ If you lose it, you're useless as a critic․"
• Best known for his work as a film critic and arts editor for the Los Angeles Times
• Has taught courses at Loyal Marymount University and UC Irvine
• Was a member of the jury at the 1992 Berlin International Film Festival
• Once estimated that during his time as a film critic he saw 250 movies a year and wrote reviews for half of them