Stuart Byron (May 9, 1941 – December 13, 1991) was an American film critic and gay rights activist. He attended public schools in New York, then matriculated at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

- studying history and joining EQV Fraternity before graduating in 1963. For two years after graduation he was associate editor of the Independent Film Journal, then spent several years as a publicist for

Pathé Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...

and Avco/Embassy, plus a year as assistant to the president for motion pictures at Natoma Productions. In 1982, Byron moved from New York to Los Angeles to take on the position of creative affairs executive for

Ray Stark Raymond Otto Stark (October 3, 1915 – January 17, 2004) was an American film producer and talent agent. Stark's background as a literary and theatrical agent prepared him to produce some of the most profitable films of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, ...

at Rastar Productions until 1984. In the 1960s, Byron worked for a year as a reporter and reviewer for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', and in 1971 he became the film-review columnist for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' at a time when the American film art and the dialogue surrounding it were being completely revised. Byron's resume, and his platform at the culturally-influential weekly made certain his voice was heard among the new wave of film-critics. Indeed, his substantial essays also frequently began to appear in '' On Film'', ''

Film Comment ''Film Comment'' is the official publication of Film at Lincoln Center. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Founded in 1962 and originally released as a quarterly, ''Film ...

'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

Harper's ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

'', ''Movie'', ''Creem'', and ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'', among others. Byron also became well known for his "World's Hardest Movie Quiz" features in ''The Village Voice'' (which briefly returned to the paper in his memory from 1999 to 2004), and later for his "Rules of the Game" columns. He also achieved national notoriety for remarks made in 1981, when he accused critic

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...

of making homophobic comments in her reviews. He is the co-editor (with Elisabeth Weis) of the book "The National Society of Film Critics on Movie Comedy", published in 1976. Byron was one of the first openly gay film critics in New York, coming-out publicly in one of his first reviews in the ''Village Voice'' (February 18, 1971). He was active in the

Gay Activists Alliance The Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) was founded in New York City on December 21, 1969, almost six months after the Stonewall riots, by dissident members of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). In contrast to the Liberation Front, the Activists Alliance ...

as well as

National Gay Task Force The National LGBTQ Task Force (formerly National Gay Task Force; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) is an American social justice advocacy non-profit organizing the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ ...

. Aside from a brief sojourn in Boston, he was a New York City resident until 1982, when he moved to Los Angeles to work for Stark. Although he returned to writing in 1984, he remained in California for the rest of his life; his work regularly appeared in ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'', and the gay news magazine ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

''. He died December 13, 1991, from complications resulting from

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. His papers are held at the Wesleyan Film Archives at Wesleyan University.

References

External links

* Wesleyan Film Archives: The Stuart Byron Collectio

* Village Voice website reference

* "The National Society of Film Critics on Movie Comedy" (hardcover

* "The National Society of Film Critics on Movie Comedy" (paperback

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byron, Stuart 1941 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers AIDS-related deaths in California American film critics American male non-fiction writers American gay writers LGBTQ people from New York (state) Variety (magazine) people The Village Voice people Wesleyan University alumni Writers from the Bronx Writers from Los Angeles 20th-century American LGBTQ people LGBTQ media critics