​Robert Osborne, Turner Classic Movies Host, Dead at 84

LOS ANGELES, CA – Robert Osborne, the movie buff, Hollywood expert and genial host of Turner Classic Movies, died Monday. Osborne was 84.

Osborne, a longtime columnist for the Hollywood Reporter turned television host, was a one-man encyclopedia of classic film, translating his love of the artform into a fascinating show that shared the stories behind the movies. Details of his passing have not been made public. Flowers were placed on Osborne's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Monday.

“Hi, I’m Robert Osborne," he began each show, introducing a classic film from a Turner's intimate living room set.

Famed for his old Hollywood class, Osborne's love of film was contagious, and he had a knack for getting stars and filmmakers to open up about their favorite films with child-like giddiness.

"Robert was embraced by devoted fans who saw him as a trusted expert and friend. His calming presence, gentlemanly style, encyclopedic knowledge of film history, fervent support for film preservation and highly personal interviewing style all combined to make him a truly world-class host," Turner Classic Movies said in announcing his passing. "Robert's contributions were fundamental in shaping TCM into what it is today and we owe him a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid."

Osborne began his career as an actor under contract with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's Desilu Studio. However, the Washington native found his true calling as a writer and film historian writing the definitive book on the Academy Awards, the award-winning "50 Golden Years of Oscar." His other books included biographies on Humphrey Bogart, Greta Garbo, Rock Hudson and Judy Garland as well as anthologies examining the top actors and actresses of the studio era.

Osborne was the last in a long tradition of movie hosts, who introduced films to television audiences before they aired. He clued his audience into behind the scenes trivia and shared his own memories and reactions to the movies. His insider tidbits managed to make some of the world's most famous films feel like newly unearthed discoveries.

In introducing Bette Davis' 1939 hit, "Dark Victory," Osborne listed the actresses such as Garbo who rejected the role even as Davis fought for the part, telling Davis fans, "She said this next movie is the one that came closest to the film she hoped it would be when she read the script."

And when he introduced the stanley Kubrick's 1971 dystopian "A Clockwork Orange" he confessed to walking out on the film's preview during the scene where Malcolm Mcdowell beats a tramp while imitating Gene Kelly's merry "Singing in the Rain."

"Well that did it for me," Osborne admitted to viewers, adding, "When I finally did see this movie I was mesmerized by it, and to me, that's one of the great things about movies. The movie doesn't change, but we do. Also there is something in the world of movies for everyone."

Photo courtesy of the Peabody Awards via flickr.com