Chaz Ebert

Chaz Ebert (née Hammel, previously Hammel-Smith, born October 15, 1952) is an American businesswoman.^[1][2] She is best known for her marriage to film critic Roger Ebert, having been married to him from 1992 until his death in 2013.

Chaz Ebert
Ebert at the Hawaii International Film Festival in 2010
Born	Charlie Hammel (1952-10-15) October 15, 1952 (age 72) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Dubuque (BA) University of Wisconsin–Platteville (MA) DePaul University (JD)
Occupations	Businessperson attorney
Years active	since 1972
Spouse(s)	Merle Smith ​ (divorced)​ Roger Ebert ​ ​ (m. 1992; died 2013)​
Children	2

Early life

Ebert was born Charlie Hammel in Chicago, Illinois, to Johnnie Hobbs Hammel and Wiley Hammel Sr.^[3] She attended Crane Technical High School in Chicago. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Dubuque, a Master of Arts from University of Wisconsin–Platteville, and a Juris Doctor from the DePaul University College of Law.^[4]

Career

Ebert 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, which contains an archive of her deceased husband Roger Ebert's film reviews and publishes contributors' film reviews.^[5][6] 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.

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.^[7][8][9]

After the death of her husband in 2013,^[10] Ebert became the host of Ebertfest, an annual film festival held in Champaign, Illinois, in collaboration with the UIUC College of Media.^[11][12][13]

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.^[14] The film, entitled The Wellness Warrior premiered on October 26, 2024 at the Chicago International Film Festival.^[15]

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 Roger Ebert.^[16]

Personal life

Ebert has two children from her first marriage to Merle Smith, whom she divorced.^[17][4] She was married to film critic Roger Ebert from 1992 until his death in 2013.^[18][19][20]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	Ebert Presents: At the Movies	Contributor	10 episodes
2013	Roger Ebert's 14th Annual Film Festival: A Retrospective	Herself	Short film[21]
2014	Life Itself	Herself
2019	90 Years of the Music Box Theatre	Herself	Short film
2019	Benjamin Marshall Architect	Herself	Short film[22]

Publications

• Chaz Ebert (May 7, 2024). It's Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness. Forefront Books. ISBN 9781637632475.

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.^[14]