Bob Dorian, Beloved AMC Presenter, Dead at 85

TV host Bob Dorian, known for his work on the American Movie Classics (AMC) network, has died. His family confirmed his passing on Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Dorian died at the age of 85 in Florida on June 15, his obituary revealed. It’s unclear when his funeral took place.

After news of his passing was made public, fans began mourning him on social media.

“Saddened to hear about the passing of former AMC host Bob Dorian. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be the classic movie fan I am today. He had a kind, cerebral presence that was the highlight of so many nights watching films. Rest in peace, sir,” one Twitter user wrote.

“[RIP] Bob Dorian, the AMC host who helped so many of us nurture a love for classic films. Before Bob Osborne came along, Bob Dorian was the kind, comforting presence who took us on a journey through film history every evening,” another tweeted.

“Rest in peace. Bob Dorian was such a wonderful host of AMC, back when AMC had essentially the same format as TCM. He introduced me to so many classic movies,” a third Twitter user chimed in.

He was born in Brooklyn on April 19, 1934. Dorian once told the Baltimore Sun he was always a fan of movies, even as a boy.

“As soon as I could go by myself, I would imitate the people. I thought I was Carey Grant, I though I was Jack Benny or whoever it was,” he told the newspaper. “When I was 9, I went for my first suit. I wanted a black suit, and my father said, ‘Why do you want a black suit?’ I said: ‘It looks like a tuxedo. I’ll look like Fred Astaire.’”

He was most widely known for his work on AMC. Dorian had a recurring role on the network’s original series, Remember WENN, which first premiered in 1996. The show was set in 1930s Pittsburgh, though it was a fictional series. He went on to appear in the Wood Allen movies The Curse of the Jade Scorpion and Hollywood Ending.

Back when AMC was a premium channel, delivering old films without commercials round the clock, Dorian was hired as an announced introducing features. He served as the primetime host at the same time George Clooney’s father, Nick Clooney, and Gene Klavan introduced films during the day.

“Among the people they were looking at at the time were two Broadway actors, a well-known TV film critic and a few others who were more involved in writing as a profession,” he recalled of his selection in a 2009 interview with Go Fatherhood. “After call backs, I heard the powers that be had been thinking of pairing the TV critic and me as a sort of Siskel & Ebert duo. Interestingly, one of the AMC execs said, ‘Wait a minute. The critic might not be too crazy about some of the films we’ve brought in. This guy Dorian likes everything!’ That was it.”

Dorian left the network in 2001.

In addition to his work on-screen, Dorian worked in comedy, the circus and music. Syracuse.com reported that he dabbled in stand-up comedy, trapeze-catching and even played the bass in a New York-based jazz group. As a magician, he was known as the Amazing Dorian. He occasionally included his wife and children in his act.