Background
Maslin, Janet was born on August 12, 1949 in New York City. Daughter of Paul and Lucille (Becker) Maslin.
Maslin, Janet was born on August 12, 1949 in New York City. Daughter of Paul and Lucille (Becker) Maslin.
Maslin graduated from the University of Rochester in 1970, with a B.A. degree and a major in mathematics.
She served as the Times' film critic from 1977 to 1999. She began her career as a rock music critic for The Boston Phoenix and Rolling Stone. Maslin was the long-time film critic for The New York Times, serving from 1977 to 1999.
Her film criticism career, including her embrace of American independent cinema, is discussed in the 2009 documentary film For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism. In the film Entertainment Weekly critic Lisa Schwarzbaum recalls the excitement of having a woman as the lead reviewer at The New York Times. Maslin continues to review books for The New York Times.
Among the most well-known of her reviews is the 2011 essay on the widowed Joyce Carol Oates' memoir, A Widow's Story, which was widely discussed.
Married Benjamin Cheever. Children: John, Andrew.