Born:
Charlie "Chaz" Hammel-Smith: Chicago, Illinois.
How Chaz and Roger Met:
“I love writing to him. When we first started dating, Roger and I would write to each other every morning ... Back in 1989, Roger was dining out with old friend Eppie Lederer, also known to advice-seeking newspaper readers as Ann Landers. Chaz was at another table with some people Lederer knew, and Roger was clearly taken with Chaz. “He wanted to meet me, so he had Eppie walk over with him to make the introduction,” she recalls. The attraction was mutual, and they began dating.”
Source: Hank Sartin. "Roger & Chaz." Chicago.Timeout.com. 10/2008.
"The marriage proposal, Chaz recalls, came during the Grand Prix in Monte Carlo while they were sitting outside eating ice cream. She does not remember if she said yes immediately."
Source: Carol Felsenthal. "A Life in the Movies." ChicagoMag.com. 12/2005.
Wedding Date:
Chaz and Roger were married on July 18, 1992 at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Illinois. Their wedding reception was held at the Drake Hotel. Guests at the wedding and reception included Marlene and Gene Siskel, Ann Landers, Studs Terkel, Christie Hefner, Mike Royko, and Russ Meyer.The decorations at their wedding reception included white lilies and an ice cream bar with 32-40 different toppings. Gene Siskel's daughters, Callie and Kate, were the flower girls at Roger and Chaz's wedding.
Health Issues:
Since 2006 Roger can't talk, eat, or drink due to thyroid cancer (2002), salivary cancer, and the removal of his lower jaw. With the help of technology, Roger is able to talk through a computer. Video: Roger and Chaz Test His New Voice.Residences:
Chaz and Roger own a beachfront home in Berrien County, Michigan and a Lincoln Park 5-story brownstone in Chicago."We found it together; we decorated it together," she [Chaz] says. The five-story place is dramatic, with a stunning atrium that shows off three large paintings by the British abstract expressionist Gillian Ayres; there is an elevator, a 14-seat screening room, and an exercise room at the top."
Source: Carol Felsenthal. "A Life in the Movies." ChicagoMag.com. 12/2005.Chris Jones: "Roger and Chaz watch movies there [their basement theater], together; it makes for a great date night. Their first date — they were introduced by Ann Landers, by the way — was at Chicago's Lyric Opera. Hence the marquee."
Source: Chris Jones. "A Few More intimate Moments With Roger Ebert." Esquire.com. 3/02/2010. Slide 4.
Occupations:
Chaz: Lawyer, vice president of The Ebert Company.Roger: Film critic, Pulitzer prize winner in 1975, author, lecturer.
Previous Marriages:
Chaz mentioned that she eloped "very early." She and her first husband had two children.Quotes About the Marriage of Chaz and Roger Ebert:
Source: Catherine Donaldson-Evans. "Roger Ebert's Wife Reveals Couple's Secret to Coping with Cancer." People.com. 4/20/2010.
Oprah Winfrey: "I would like to say, from one woman to another, you are incredible," Oprah says. "The reason is this: This woman refused to let him die. Years ago during the early, first operations when everybody was saying it's done, it's over, Chaz called me and said, 'I refuse to let him die.' And she stood by him and has been with him and taken care of him and shown what true love is."
Source: The Oprah Winfrey Show. "Roger Ebert Speaks Again." Oprah.com. 2/26/2010.
Source: Chris Jones. "Roger Ebert: The Essential Man." Esquire.com. 2/16/2010.
Chaz: “Roger’s passionate about life. Passionate about books, passionate about movies. I find that I learn from Roger even if I don’t agree with him.”
Source: Hank Sartin. "Roger & Chaz." Chicago.Timeout.com. 10/2008.
Roger: "One thing I've discovered is that I love my job more than I thought I did, and I love my wife even more!"
Source: Roger Ebert. "Roger writes to readers." RogerEbert.SunTimes.com. 10/11/2006.
Carol Felsenthal: "He said often that what he admired most about Gene Siskel was his devoted marriage and his obvious love for his wife and children."
Source: Carol Felsenthal. "A Life in the Movies." ChicagoMag.com. 12/2005.
