Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin has been chosen to receive the TCM Classic Film Festival’s Robert Osborne Award for his contribution to film history and preservation. Turner Classic Movies made the announcement on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. He will be the third recipient, following honorees Martin Scorsese and Kevin Brownlow.

Maltin has written several film history books, including Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide and Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide. He had a 30-year run on Entertainment Tonight and served as president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for two terms. Maltin is a voting member of the National Film Registry and sits on the Board of Directors on the National Film Preservation Foundation. He teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, he and his daughter Jessie Maltin host the weekly podcast Maltin on Movies, and he regularly appears on TCM.

The Robert Osborne Award is named for the Hollywood veteran who was a journalist at The Hollywood Reporter, he was the historian for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and then served as TCM’s primary host of programming for over 22 years. The award was created to honor those who help keep the heritage of classic films alive for the future.

“To receive an award in the name of a man who was universally admired for his lifelong love of movies is humbling, to say the least. I am very proud to be associated with Turner Classic Movies,” Maltin told Scoop.

“For movie fans of a certain age – let’s say between 30 and 130 – Leonard Maltin has been an indispensable source of vital information: ‘What was it called? When was it made? Who was in it? And was it any good?’ Consistently, you’d find the answers in Leonard’s books. They set the standard for movie reference,” Ben Mankiewicz, TCM primetime anchor and host of the TCM Classic Film Festival, said. “Leonard’s knowledge and passion for the movies has spanned an entire history of cinema. Who was the greatest silent screen comedian? Leonard has an answer because he’s seen those pictures. Was 1939 really Hollywood’s greatest year? Ask Leonard. How does Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stack up against The Irishman and should Moonlight’s Oscar win over La La Land be considered an upset? Once again, ask Leonard Maltin. If Leonard doesn’t deserve the Robert Osborne Award, no one does. He’s made movie knowledge accessible to millions of film fans across the globe.”

The award will be presented at the 11th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood on April 16-19.