Kevin Thomas (born June 12, 1936) is an American film critic who has written reviews for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' since 1962. His long tenure makes him the longest-running film critic among major United States newspapers.Interview with Kevin Thomas
, Alternative Projections – Los Angeles Filmforum, Retrieved October 21, 2013 Thomas was born in Los Angeles in 1936. He earned a bachelor's degree from

Gettysburg College Gettysburg College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about ...

in 1958 and master's degree from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

in 1960. Thomas is known for giving fairly positive reviews compared to other critics, and certainly less critical than

Kenneth Turan Kenneth Turan (; born October 27, 1946) is an American retired film critic, author, and lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California. He was a film critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1991 ...

, who joined the ''Los Angeles Times'' in 1991.Anderson, John and Laura Kim
I Wake Up Screening: What To Do Once You've Made That Movie
p. 195 (2006) () (Thomas "can also be very generous to filmmakers") In 2003, the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association gave Thomas a Lifetime Achievement Award. Thomas holds an honorary position on the advisory board of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and its

Dorian Awards The Dorian Awards are general and LGBTQ-themed accolades for excellence in film, television and Broadway / Off-Broadway, as voted by the members of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. GALECA is an association of professional jour ...

. In his 2022 book '' Cinema Speculation'' – which includes an entire chapter about Thomas –

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

said that Kevin Thomas was the only critic at the ''Los Angeles Times'' who seemed to enjoy his job.

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* 1936 births Living people American film critics Gettysburg College alumni Los Angeles Times people Pennsylvania State University alumni Writers from Los Angeles Journalists from California 20th-century American journalists American male journalists {{US-journalist-1930s-stub