Jack Kroll
Encyclopedia
John Kroll – known as Jack Kroll – was an award-winning Newsweek
drama and film critic. His career spanned 37 years – more than half the publication's existence.
. His mother was an Earl Carroll
showgirl and his father, Lester Kroll, was a radio personality with the radio name "John J. Anthony" ("Mr. Anthony") on the long-running radio program The Goodwill Hour. Lester took this pseudonym from his two sons' given names: John (Jack) and Anthony.
Kroll spent two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War
. He later attended City College of New York
, graduating in 1954. He also earned a master's degree
in English and comparative literature. A skilled writer adept at several forms of journalism, he joined Newsweek as an associate arts editor in 1963. He ultimately became senior editor in charge of all cultural sections (1964), drama critic (1967), and critic-at-large (1975). Over his career with the magazine (1963-2000), he was responsible for 19 cover stories and over 1,200 articles.
His last cover story was the December 14, 1998 piece on Nicole Kidman
's Broadway
debut in The Blue Room. He died of colon cancer at New York University Medical Center at age 74.
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
drama and film critic. His career spanned 37 years – more than half the publication's existence.
Biography
Kroll was born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. His mother was an Earl Carroll
Earl Carroll
Earl Carroll was an American theatrical producer, director, songwriter and composer born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Career:...
showgirl and his father, Lester Kroll, was a radio personality with the radio name "John J. Anthony" ("Mr. Anthony") on the long-running radio program The Goodwill Hour. Lester took this pseudonym from his two sons' given names: John (Jack) and Anthony.
Kroll spent two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. He later attended City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, graduating in 1954. He also earned a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in English and comparative literature. A skilled writer adept at several forms of journalism, he joined Newsweek as an associate arts editor in 1963. He ultimately became senior editor in charge of all cultural sections (1964), drama critic (1967), and critic-at-large (1975). Over his career with the magazine (1963-2000), he was responsible for 19 cover stories and over 1,200 articles.
His last cover story was the December 14, 1998 piece on Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
's Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in The Blue Room. He died of colon cancer at New York University Medical Center at age 74.
Awards
- National Magazine AwardNational Magazine AwardThe National Magazine Awards are a series of US awards that honor excellence in the magazine industry. They are administered by the American Society of Magazine Editors and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City...
(1974; for a piece on the arts in America) - Page One Awards (1974; for a piece on the arts in America; and 1982, for a profile of Richard PryorRichard PryorRichard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
) - George Jean Nathan Award (1980; for dramatic criticism )
- ASCAP / Deems Taylor Award (1981; for coverage of John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
’s death)
Books
- Atwan, Robert and Bruce Forer (editors), Bedside Hollywood: Great Scenes from Movie Memoirs, New York: Moyer Bell (1985); foreword by Jack Kroll.