Ed Sikov
Encyclopedia
Ed Sikov is an openly
gay
American
film
scholar and author
. His books include Mr. Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers
(published in 2002), On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder
(published in 1998), and Laughing Hysterically: American Screen Comedies of the 1950s (published in 1994).
Sikov was born in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania
, majored in English at Haverford College
, and has a Ph.D.
from Columbia University
; Sikov has since written eloquently of the difficulties he experienced as a gay student in the 1970s. He has lived in New York City
since 1979, and currently resides with his husband, Bruce Schackman.
Sikov's most recent book is a textbook - Film Studies: An Introduction; before that was Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis
(Henry Holt, 2007). He recorded a commentary track for the Special Collector's Edition DVD of Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, and is often called upon as a film expert for articles and documentaries, such as the 10-part American Cinema series produced by the New York Center for Visual History in association with the BBC
and PBS. He has also written for the British and US editions of Premiere
magazine as well as for Out
, The Advocate
, Connoisseur, Spy
, Village Voice and Film Quarterly
.
Critical reception to Sikov's books has been appreciative: film historian Jeanine Basinger
finds him "a caring biographer" who is exhaustive in his research; his writing has been noted for its unsentimental tone and detailed scholarship. While taking issue with his style, film critic Rex Reed
has acknowledged Sikov's accuracy and refusal to "whitewash" facts.
Sikov has taught film studies
at several colleges and universities, including Colorado College
and his alma maters Columbia University
and Haverford College. A course he taught at Haverford between 1995 and 2005, Sex and Gender on Film, earned notice as "one of the most popular courses" at that institution.
Sikov's contributions as an author and teacher have been curtailed by the onset of Parkinson's disease
.
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
scholar and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. His books include Mr. Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
(published in 2002), On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age...
(published in 1998), and Laughing Hysterically: American Screen Comedies of the 1950s (published in 1994).
Sikov was born in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania
Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania
Natrona Heights is an unincorporated community in Harrison Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States; it is located in Western Pennsylvania within the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, approximately northeast of Pittsburgh...
, majored in English at Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
, and has a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
; Sikov has since written eloquently of the difficulties he experienced as a gay student in the 1970s. He has lived in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
since 1979, and currently resides with his husband, Bruce Schackman.
Sikov's most recent book is a textbook - Film Studies: An Introduction; before that was Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
(Henry Holt, 2007). He recorded a commentary track for the Special Collector's Edition DVD of Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, and is often called upon as a film expert for articles and documentaries, such as the 10-part American Cinema series produced by the New York Center for Visual History in association with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and PBS. He has also written for the British and US editions of Premiere
Premiere (magazine)
Premiere was an American and New York City-based film magazine published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., published between the years 1987 and 2007. The original version of the magazine, Première , was started in France in 1976 and is still being published there.-History:The magazine originally...
magazine as well as for Out
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
, The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
, Connoisseur, Spy
Spy (magazine)
Spy was a satirical monthly magazine founded in 1986 by Kurt Andersen and E. Graydon Carter, who served as its first editors, and Thomas L. Phillips, Jr., its first publisher. After one folding and a rebirth, it ceased publication in 1998...
, Village Voice and Film Quarterly
Film Quarterly
Film Quarterly is a film journal published by University of California Press, in Berkeley, California, United States. It was first published in 1945 as Hollywood Quarterly, was renamed The Quarterly of Film Radio and Television in 1951, and received its current title in 1958...
.
Critical reception to Sikov's books has been appreciative: film historian Jeanine Basinger
Jeanine Basinger
Jeanine Basinger , a film historian, is Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies and Founder and Curator of The Cinema Archives at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut....
finds him "a caring biographer" who is exhaustive in his research; his writing has been noted for its unsentimental tone and detailed scholarship. While taking issue with his style, film critic Rex Reed
Rex Reed
Rex Taylor Reed is an American film critic and former co-host of the syndicated television show At the Movies. He currently writes the column "On the Town with Rex Reed" for The New York Observer.-Life and career:...
has acknowledged Sikov's accuracy and refusal to "whitewash" facts.
Sikov has taught film studies
Film studies
Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to films. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies...
at several colleges and universities, including Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
and his alma maters Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and Haverford College. A course he taught at Haverford between 1995 and 2005, Sex and Gender on Film, earned notice as "one of the most popular courses" at that institution.
Sikov's contributions as an author and teacher have been curtailed by the onset of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
Works
- Film Studies: An Introduction
- Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis
- On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder
- Mr Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers
- Screwball: Hollywood's Madcap Romantic Comedies
- Laughing Hysterically: American Screen Comedy of the 1950s
- American Cinema Study Guide
- (included in) Boys Like Us, anthology
- (included in) Friends and Lovers, anthology
External links
- Ed Sikov website
- Interview at NPR
- The Real Margo Channing’s Fasten-Your-Seatbelts Life. The New York Times, November 12, 2007
- What a Bumpy Ride. The Washington Post, November 11, 2007
- Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis by Ed Sikov. The Sunday Times, November 4, 2007
- Fasten Your Seatbelts. The New York Times, November 4, 2007
- Here, there and everywhere. The Guardian, Saturday 5 October 2002
- On Sunset Boulevard The Life and Times of Billy Wilder. Entertainment Weekly, December 23, 1998