Kevin Thomas (film critic)
Kevin Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kevin Thomas June 12, 1936 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Gettysburg College Pennsylvania State University |
| Occupations | Film critic, writer |
Kevin Thomas (born June 12, 1936)[1] is an American film critic who wrote reviews on a regular basis for the Los Angeles Times from 1962 until 2005. His long tenure makes him the longest-running film critic among major United States newspapers.[2][3]
Thomas is known for giving fairly positive reviews compared to other critics, and certainly less critical than Kenneth Turan, who joined the Los Angeles Times in 1991.[4][5][6] However, Thomas also gained fame after being punched in the nose by Tommy Sands, whose acting he criticized in a review of None but the Brave (1965).[7][8]
Early life and education
[edit]Thomas was born in Los Angeles in 1936. He earned a bachelor's degree from Gettysburg College in 1958 and master's degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1960.[2][9]
Honors and awards
[edit]In 2003, the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association gave Thomas a Lifetime Achievement Award.[10] Thomas holds an honorary position on the advisory board of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and its Dorian Awards.[11]
In his 2022 book Cinema Speculation – which includes an entire chapter about Thomas – Quentin Tarantino said that Kevin Thomas was the only critic at the Los Angeles Times who seemed to enjoy his job.[12]
A documentary on Thomas premiered in 2025 at the Wisconsin Film Festival.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ Kevin Blair Thomas birth registration
- 1 2 Interview with Kevin Thomas Archived April 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Alternative Projections – Los Angeles Filmforum, Retrieved October 21, 2013
- ↑ Burger, Mark (April 2, 2025). "By Kevin Thomas: The man behind the byline". YES! Weekly. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
- ↑ Anderson, John and Laura Kim. I Wake Up Screening: What To Do Once You've Made That Movie, p. 195 (2006) (ISBN 2854188535) (Thomas "can also be very generous to filmmakers")
- ↑ Berlin, Joey (June 4, 2001). "For Studios, Junkets Are Just Cost-Effective". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
I did chuckle, however, at the juxtaposition of Rosenberg's smug "expose" and Kevin Thomas' rave review of "Pearl Harbor".
- ↑ von Busack, Richard (July 19, 2006). "Critical Masses – Upon reading the 1,000,000th 'the critic is dead' posting in a blog". Metro Silicon Valley.
Even 30 years ago, he was known as "the Will Rogers of film criticism"—he never saw a movie he didn't like.
- ↑ Harding, Henry (December 4, 1965). "For the Record: Slow Poke". TV Guide. p. A-3.
- 1 2 "Wisconsin Film Festival: April 3-10, 2025" (PDF). Wisconsin Film Festival. March 8, 2025. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Gettysburg College Honors Three Distinguished Alumni". gettysburg.edu. May 20, 2000. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
- ↑ "Pioneering Film Critic Kevin Thomas to be Recognized by Lesbian & Gay Journalists at National Convention". July 10, 2003. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013 – via HighBeam Research.
- ↑ "Members". GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics: Home of The Dorian Awards. Retrieved October 5, 2019
- ↑ "A film critic reflects on Quentin Tarantino's film reflections". November 16, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Kevin Thomas at IMDb