Chaz Ebert (born Charlie Hammel, October 15, 1952) is an American businesswoman. She is best known as the wife and widow of film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

, having been married to him from 1992 until his death in 2013.

Early life

Ebert was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

to Johnnie Hobbs Hammel and Wiley Hammel Sr. She attended Crane Technical High School in Chicago. She earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from the

University of Dubuque The University of Dubuque (UD) is a private Presbyterian university in Dubuque, Iowa. About 2,200 students attend the university. History The University of Dubuque has had a long history in Dubuque since its founding in 1852. Early years Adri ...

, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from

University of Wisconsin–Platteville University of Wisconsin–Platteville (UW–Platteville or UW Platt) is a public university in Platteville, Wisconsin, United States. Part of the University of Wisconsin System, it offers bachelor's degree, bachelor's and Master's degree, master ...

, and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

DePaul University College of Law DePaul University College of Law is the law school of DePaul University, a private Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 125 full- and part-time faculty members and enrolls more than 500 students in its Juri ...

Career

Chaz was an executive producer and guest on '' Ebert Presents: At the Movies''. She is the CEO and publisher of Ebert Digital, which publishes ''

RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...

'', which contains an archive of her deceased husband Roger Ebert's film reviews and publishes contributors' film reviews. She was featured in the 2014 documentary '' Life Itself'' about Roger Ebert and was an executive producer of the 2019 film ''

Selah and the Spades ''Selah and the Spades'' is a 2019 American drama film written and directed by Tayarisha Poe in her feature directorial debut. It stars Lovie Simone, Celeste O'Connor, Jharrel Jerome, Gina Torres, and Jesse Williams. It had its world premiere a ...

''. In 2005, Ebert was part of a group of high-profile minority and female shareholders who filed a federal lawsuit against other investors in the bankrupt Rosemont, Illinois-based Emerald Casino. Ebert and the other investors said they lost more than $21 million after the Illinois Gaming Board revoked the license from the Emerald Casino, reportedly because the other investors were accused of lying to state regulators or having ties to organized crime. After the death of her husband in 2013, Ebert became the host of

Ebertfest Ebertfest is an annual film festival held every April in Champaign, Illinois, United States, organized by the College of Media at the University of Illinois. Roger Ebert, the TV and ''Chicago Sun-Times'' film critic, was a native of the adjoi ...

, an annual film festival held in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in ...

, in collaboration with the UIUC College of Media. On September 28, 2022, during the 2022 Screen Gems Benefit, Ebert announced that she will make her directorial debut on a documentary about Deborah Szekely, the godmother of health and fitness. The film, entitled ''The Wellness Warrior'' premiered on October 26, 2024 at the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

. On May 7, 2024, Ebert published a book entitled ''It's Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness'' about the importance of forgiveness, empathy, compassion, and kindness, inspired by the work of her late husband

Personal life

Chaz was married to film critic

from 1992 until his death in 2013. She has two children from previous relationships.

Filmography

Publications

Awards and honors

On September 28, 2022, Ebert was awarded the FACETS Legend Award at the 2022 Screen Gems Benefit for her efforts to promote diversity within the film world.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ebert, Chaz 1952 births 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople African-American business executives African-American publishers (people) African-American women in business Businesspeople from Chicago DePaul University College of Law alumni Lawyers from Chicago Living people University of Dubuque alumni University of Wisconsin–Platteville alumni Roger Ebert Crane High School (Chicago) alumni