, one of the country's most recognized and respected film critics and historians, is now in his 26th season with television's Entertainment Tonight. But long before he became a familiar face on television, his annual paperback Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide established his reputation; he was 18 when the first edition was published. A perennial best-seller, 'The Guide' has become an indispensable tool for film fans, and the venerable New York Times called it "invaluable." He also edited two companion volumes, Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia and Leonard Maltin's Family Film Guide.

His other books include The Great American Broadcast: A Celebration of Radio's Golden Age, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, The Great Movie Comedians, The Disney Films, The Art of the Cinematographer, Selected Short Subjects, and (as coauthor) The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang.

Mr. Maltin teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, hosts the weekly program Secret’s Out on ReelzChannel, and introduces movies on DirecTV. For three years he co-hosted the weekly movie review program Hot Ticket, and for six years was the film critic for Playboy magazine.

His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The London Times, Premiere, Satellite Direct, Smithsonian, TV Guide, Esquire, The Village Voice, and American Film. He is also a contributor to Oxford University Press' American National Biography. He frequently lectures on film, and was a member of the faculty of New York City's New School for Social Research for nine years. He has served as Guest Curator at the Museum of Modern Art film department in New York; in 1976 he programmed an eight-month salute to American Film Comedy to salute our country's Bicentennial. He served as President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association in 1995 and 1996, and in 1997 was named to the National Film Preservation Board, to help select 25 films annually to join the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. In 2006 he was named by the Librarian of Congress to join the Board of Directors of the National Film Preservation Foundation. He has received awards and citations from the American Society of Cinematographers, Anthology Film Archives, The Society of Cinephiles, and the Telluride Film Festival.

Mr. Maltin has written a number of television specials, including "Fantasia: The Creation of a Disney Classic", and has hosted, produced and written such video documentaries and compilations as "The Making of The Quiet Man", "The Making of High Noon", "Cartoons for Big Kids", "The Lost Stooges", "Young Duke: The Making of a Movie Star", "Cliffhangers: Adventures from the Thrill Factory" and "Cartoon Madness: The Fantastic Max Fleischer Cartoons".

He is also active in the field of DVDs, hosting and co-producing the popular Walt Disney Treasures series and appearing on Warner Home Video’s “Night at the Movies” features. Perhaps the greatest indication of his fame was his appearance in a now-classic episode of the animated series “South Park.” (Or was it Carmela consulting his Movie Guide on an episode of The Sopranos?)

However, he may be best known as the resident film buff on the popular syndicated program Entertainment Tonight, where he has worked since 1982. Its enduring popularity makes him the most-watched film critic in America. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Alice and daughter Jessica.

As Author:

  MOVIE COMEDY TEAMS (NAL, 1970; revised editions, 1974, 1985)
  BEHIND THE CAMERA (NAL, 1971)
reissued as THE ART OF THE CINEMATOGRAPHER (Dover, 1978)
  THE GREAT MOVIE SHORTS (Crown, 1972)
reissued as SELECTED SHORT SUBJECTS (Da Capo, 1983)
  THE DISNEY FILMS (Crown, 1973; revised edition, 1985; 3rd edition, 1995 from Hyperion; 4th ed., 2000, Disney Editions)
  CAROLE LOMBARD (Pyramid, 1976)
  OUR GANG: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE LITTLE RASCALS (Crown, 1977; coauthor with Richard W. Bann; revised and reissued as THE LITTLE RASCALS: THE LIFE AND   TIMES OF OUR GANG, 1992)
  THE GREAT MOVIE COMEDIANS (Crown, 1978)
  OF MICE AND MAGIC: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN ANIMATED CARTOONS (NAL and McGraw Hill, 1980; revised edition, November 1987)
  THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO (Crown, 1981; coauthor)
  THE GREAT AMERICAN BROADCAST: A CELEBRATION OF RADIO'S GOLDEN AGE (E.P. Dutton, 1997)
  LEONARD MALTIN'S MOVIE CRAZY (M Press, 2008)

As Editor:

  LEONARD MALTIN’S MOVIE GUIDE (originally published as TV Movies, then Leonard Maltin’s Movie & Video Guide) (NAL, 1969, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, published annually since 1988)
  (Also published in Dutch edition as SPEELFILM ENCYCLOPEDIE, and Swedish version as BONNIERS STORA FILM & VIDEO GUIDE)
  THE REAL STARS (Curtis, 1973)
  THE REAL STARS #2 (Curtis, 1974)
  THE LAUREL AND HARDY BOOK (Curtis, 1973)
  HOLLYWOOD: THE MOVIE FACTORY (Popular Library, 1976)
  HOLLYWOOD KIDS (Popular Library, 1978)
  THE REAL STARS #3 (Popular Library, 1979)
  THE WHOLE FILM SOURCEBOOK (NAL and Universe Books, 1983)
  LEONARD MALTIN'S MOVIE ENCYCLOPEDIA (Dutton/Penguin, 1994)
  LEONARD MALTIN'S FAMILY FILM GUIDE (Dutton Signet, 1999)

  A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE CINEMA (Tantivy/A.S. Barnes, 1971)
  THE COMPLEAT GUIDE TO FILM STUDY (The National Council of Teachers of English, 1972)
  THE AMERICAN FILM HERITAGE (AFI/Acropolis Books, 1972)
  DIRECTORS IN ACTION (Bobbs Merrill, 1973)
  THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JAZZ IN THE SEVENTIES (Horizon, 1976)
  THE MOVIE BUFF'S BOOK 2 (Pyramid, 1977)
  THE IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE BOOK (Knopf, 1986)
  THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO AMERICAN FILM SCHOOLS (Penguin, 1994)
  PRIVATE SCREENINGS: INSIDERS SHARE A CENTURY OF GREAT MOVIE MOMENTS (American Film Institute/Turner Publishing, 1995)
  THE BOOK OF MOVIE LISTS (Contemporary Books, 1998)
  AMERICAN NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY (Oxford University Press, 1999)
  CHARLES M. SCHULZ: CONVERSATIONS (University Press of Mississippi, 2000)
  ANDREW SARRIS: AMERICAN FILM CRITIC (Scarecrow Press, 2001)
  THE CARTOON MUSIC BOOK (A Cappella, 2002)
  DISNEY INSIDER YEARBOOK: 2005 YEAR IN REVIEW (Disney Editions, 2006)

  PRESTON STURGES by James Ursini (1973)
  HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR by David Chierichetti (1973)
  KARLOFF by Denis Gifford (1973)
  B MOVIES by Don Miller (1973--reprinted by Ballantine, 1988)
  DON SIEGEL, DIRECTOR by Stuart M. Kaminsky (1974)

As General Editor, Popular Library Film Series:

  THE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO BOOK by Jim Mulholland (1975)
  TEX AVERY, KING OF CARTOONS by Joe Adamson (1975--reprinted by DaCapo, 1985)
  HOLLYWOOD CORRAL by Don Miller (1975)
  STANLEY KUBRICK: A FILM ODYSSEY by Gene Phillips (1975)
  SUPERMAN: FROM SERIAL TO CEREAL by Gary H. Grossman (1976)
  ROBERT ALTMAN: AMERICAN INNOVATOR by Judith M. Kass (1978)

  LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU by Jordan Young (Moonstone Press, 1988)
  WALT DISNEY AND ASSORTED OTHER CHARACTERS by Jack Kinney (Crown, 1989)
  CHRONICLE OF THE MOVIES (Crescent, 1991)
  JUSTICE FOR DISNEY (Tomart Publications, 1992)
  SUPERMAN: ARCHIVE EDITIONS, Volume 4 (D.C. Comics, 1994)
  ANIMATION: THE ART OF FRIZ FRELENG (Donovan Publishing, 1994)
  LISTENING TO MOVIES: THE FILM LOVERS GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC (Schirmer, 1994)
  OUR MOVIE HERITAGE (Rutgers University Press, 1997)
  WALT'S TIME (Camphor Tree, 1998)
  WRITERS ON DIRECTORS (Watson Guptill, 1999)
  DIRECTORS SPEAK (Lone Eagle, 1999)
  I HAVE A LADY IN THE BALCONY (McFarland, 2000)
  SOUND AND VISION: 60 YEARS OF MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACKS (Billboard Books, 2000)
  MY LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS/TAKE MY LIFE: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF EDDIE CANTOR (Cooper Square Press, 2000)
  UB IWERKS: THE HAND BEHIND THE MOUSE (Disney Editions, 2001)
  THE BARRYMORES: HOLLYWOOD'S FIRST FAMILY (University of Kentucky Press, 2001)
  OUR GANG, VOLUME 1 (Fantagraphics Press, 2006)
  MOUSE TRACKS (University Press of Mississippi , 2006)
  OLD JEWISH COMEDIANS (Fantagraphics Press, 2006)
  GREMLINS (Dark Horse Comics, 2006)
  HARLAN ELLISON'S WATCHING (M Press, 2008)

  Film consultant, COMEDY: THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER (ABC/Jack Haley Jr., 1984)
  Writer, THE ART OF DISNEY ANIMATION (The Disney Channel, 1988)
  Writer and host, BUGS AND DAFFY: THE WARTIME CARTOONS (MGM/UA Home Video, 1989)
  Writer-producer-host, CARTOONS FOR BIG KIDS (Turner Entertainment, 1989)
  Writer-producer-narrator, THE LOST STOOGES (Turner Entertainment, 1990)
  Writer, FANTASIA: THE CREATION OF A DISNEY CLASSIC (The Disney Channel, 1991)
  Writer-producer-host, CARTOON MADNESS: THE FANTASTIC MAX FLEISCHER CARTOONS (Arts & Entertainment/Republic Pictures, 1991)
  Writer-producer-host, THE MAKING OF THE QUIET MAN (Republic Pictures, 1992)
  Writer-producer-host, THE MAKING OF HIGH NOON (Republic Pictures, 1992)
  Writer-producer-host, YOUNG DUKE: THE MAKING OF A MOVIE STAR (Arts & Entertainment/Republic Pictures, 1993)
  Writer-producer-host, CLIFFHANGERS: ADVENTURES FROM THE THRILL FACTORY (Arts & Entertainment/Republic Pictures, 1993)
  Writer-producer-host, THE MAKING OF SANDS OF IWO JIMA (Republic Pictures, 1993)
  Writer-producer-host, THE MAKING OF RIO GRANDE (Republic Pictures, 1993)
  Writer-producer-host, introductions for THE LITTLE RASCALS (Cabin Fever Entertainment, 1994)
  Writer-host, LEONARD MALTIN'S FAVORITE ANIMATION FROM THE NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA (Arts & Entertainment/National Film Board of Canada, 1994)
  Writer-host, A NIGHT OF MOVIE MAGIC (Discovery Channel, 1995)
  Writer-host, THE LITTLE RASCALS on home video (Cabin Fever/Hallmark, 1994)
  Consultant, AFI'S 100 YEARS: 100 FILMS (CBS, Smith-Hemion, 1998)
  Writer, ADDED ATTRACTIONS: THE HOLLYWOOD SHORTS STORY (Turner Classic Movies, 2002)
  Writer-host, THE HAROLD LLOYD COMEDY COLLECTION (New Line Home Video, 2005)
  Writer-host, John Wayne Batjac collection: THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY, ISLAND IN THE SKY , HONDO, MCCLINTOCK (Paramount Home Video, 2005)
  Host, writer, co-producer, WALT DISNEY TREASURES DVD series (Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2001--