Jeffrey Lyons (television Critic) - Life and Career

Life and Career

Lyons was born in New York City, one of the four sons of Sylvia and Leonard Lyons. His godfather was the playwright Sidney Kingsley and his godmother was the actress Madge Evans.

Lyons was the film critic for WPIX from 1970 to 1991, and a co-host of the movie review show Sneak Previews from 1982 to 1996. He appeared on MSNBC's "AT THE MOVIES" with his son Ben from 2004-6. On American AM radio, he hosted a show, "The Lyons Den", on WCBS (AM) from 1975 to 1993. The title "The Lyons Den" is taken from the New York Post column that his father wrote for 40 years. He joined WNBC in 1996 as the station's film and theatre critic. His last report on WNBC was on June 26, 2009. He reported during Live at Five and NewsChannel 4 newscasts. Lyons created and co-hosted the NBC syndicated movie review TV show Lyons & Bailes Reel Talk from 2005-09. He currently hosts a syndicated radio program called "LYONS DEN RADIO" and appeares on several national TV shows talking movies. In addition to his work as a critic, he has appeared as himself in The French Connection, Deathtrap, and the TV series Wiseguy.

Lyons studied acting witih Lee Strasberg at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in New York and earned a Law degree from Syracuse University School of Law. He began his professional career working on the city desk of the Jersey Journal, writing sports and obituaries, then as an intern on the Metropolitan desk of the New York Times where he published a story, then at WINS radio where he covered the two national political conventions of 1968; the Democratic convention in Chicago and the Republicans in Miami.

Lyons is the author or co-author of seven books, including Jeffrey Lyons' 101 Great Movies for Kids. He and his brother Douglas have written several baseball trivia books, Out of Left Field, Curveballs and Screwballs, and Short Hops and Foul Tips. He's recently had two books published, Stories My Father Told Me: Notes From 'The Lyons Den', about his father's iconic Broadway column, and Catching Heat, co-authored with his brother Douglas and former Yankee Jim Leyritz, whose biography it is. Jeffrey and Douglas Lyons have lectured at the Smithsonian Institution and at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Lyons has been a guest announcer, both as play-by-play and analyst, for the Boston Red Sox radio network and Red Sox games in Spanish. He trained as a field goal kicker with the New York Giants for three seasons (1961–63) and studied bullfighting for seven summers touring Spain with Antonio Ordonez, arranged by mutual friend Ernest Hemingway who anointed Ordonez as the greatest matador of them all in his book, "The Dangerous Summer."

Lyons has received two honorary degrees, from Hofstra University in 2000 and St. Mary's College in 2002. He also holds a Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse Law School. Lyons' son is the television personality and movie critic Ben Lyons, who also uses the name "The Lyons Den" in his own work as a critic and correspondent first on the E! Channel's "E!News" for five seasons, and since March, 2012, is now on "EXTRA," the nationally-syndicated program. Ben has appeared on "Good Morning, America","The Joy Behar Show","The Bonnie Hunt Show," CNN, SPIKE TV, guest hosts on ESPN Radio in Los Angeles and is the N.Y. Knicks' "Super Fan" in videos appearing on their website. Jeffrey recently began doing segments on upcoming films with his son on "EXTRA."