Chaz Ebert (born Charlie Hammel; October 15, 1952) is an American attorney and businesswoman.

Early life and education

Ebert was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

to Johnnie Hobbs Hammel and Wiley Hammel Sr. She attended Crane Technical High School in Chicago. She earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from the

University of Dubuque The University of Dubuque (UD) is a private Presbyterian university in Dubuque, Iowa. About 2,200 students attend the university. History The University of Dubuque has had a long history in Dubuque since its founding in 1852. Early years T ...

, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from

University of Wisconsin–Platteville University of Wisconsin–Platteville (UW–Platteville) is a public university in Platteville, Wisconsin. Part of the University of Wisconsin System, it offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The university has three colleges that serve over ...

, and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

from the DePaul University College of Law.

Career

Chaz 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 dead husband Roger Ebert's film reviews and publishes contributors' film reviews. 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 ''Selah and the Spades'' is a 2019 American drama film written and directed by Tayarisha Poe, in her feature directorial debut. It stars Lovie Simone, Celeste O'Connor, Jharrel Jerome, Gina Torres, and Jesse Williams. It had its world premiere ...

''. 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. After the death of her husband, Ebert became the host of

Ebertfest Ebertfest is an annual film festival held every April in Champaign, Illinois, United States, organized by the College of Media at the University of Illinois. Roger Ebert, the TV and ''Chicago Sun-Times'' film critic, was a native of the adjoin ...

, an annual film festival held in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metrop ...

, in collaboration with the

UIUC College of Media The College of Media is a college at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States. The college name changed from College of Communications to the College of Media in 2008. The College of Media offers Bachelor of Science degre ...

Personal life

Chaz was married to film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

from 1992 until his death in 2013. She has two children from previous relationships.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Appearances on WGN radio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebert, Chaz 1952 births 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople African-American business executives African-American publishers (people) African-American women in business Businesspeople from Chicago DePaul University College of Law alumni Lawyers from Chicago Living people University of Dubuque alumni University of Wisconsin–Platteville alumni Roger Ebert Siskel and Ebert