Film and theatre critic. Born in Chicago, the son of Lloyd Canby and Katherine Anne Vincent. He entered World War II serving in the Pacific, afterward attending Dartmouth and from there employed for six years as a film critic for Variety magazine. In 1969, he became the chief film critic of the New York Times, reviewing over one-thousand films there, until the early 1990s when he switched his attention from film to theatre, becoming chief theatre critic in 1994. His career is noted in the film 'For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism,' by several contemporary critics who spoke of Canby's influence for a quarter century as America's most prominent film critic. He never married but for years was the companion of Penelope Gilliatt, British novelist, short story writer and film critic. An interesting footnote is that nearly three years after his death, upon the death of Bob Hope, his byline again appeared on the front page of the New York Times, as he had written the bulk of Hope's obituary for the newspaper several years before.
Film and theatre critic. Born in Chicago, the son of Lloyd Canby and Katherine Anne Vincent. He entered World War II serving in the Pacific, afterward attending Dartmouth and from there employed for six years as a film critic for Variety magazine. In 1969, he became the chief film critic of the New York Times, reviewing over one-thousand films there, until the early 1990s when he switched his attention from film to theatre, becoming chief theatre critic in 1994. His career is noted in the film 'For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism,' by several contemporary critics who spoke of Canby's influence for a quarter century as America's most prominent film critic. He never married but for years was the companion of Penelope Gilliatt, British novelist, short story writer and film critic. An interesting footnote is that nearly three years after his death, upon the death of Bob Hope, his byline again appeared on the front page of the New York Times, as he had written the bulk of Hope's obituary for the newspaper several years before.
Bio by: Stephen D. Robison
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Canby memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
