Exclusive Portrait: Al Roker at 60th Chicago Intl Film Festival Gala

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CHICAGO – I have a new appreciation for Al Roker. Already acknowledged as a famous weatherman and TV host, the “Today Show” staple can add raucous comedian to his resume, as indicated by his hosting duties at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival’s Summer Gala on June 1st, 2024. He killed, as they say.

Albert Lincoln Roker was born in Queens, and got his B.A. in Communications from the State University of New York in Oswego. His first weatherman gig was in Syracuse, New York, while in college and he started his main career in Washington, D.C. After stops in Cleveland and local affiliate in New York City, he found himself substituting at the national level on NBC, first with the Sunrise show and then with the “Today Show.”

Al Roker at the 2024 60th CIFF Summer Gala
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

With his personality and appearances on “Late Night with David Letterman,” Roker became the permanent “Today Show” weather anchor in 1996, replacing Willard Scott. From that time to the present, Roker has become America’s genial uncle, adding hosting duties with “3rd Hour Today,” covering the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade every year, and doing various TV jobs such as game shows, cooking shows and even a syndicated radio weather report. In 2018, he made his debut as a Broadway actor when he portrayed Joe in the musical “Waitress.”

The 60th Chicago International Film Festival’s (CIFF) Summer Gala kicked off a milestone year for the famous fest. HollywoodChicago.com photographer Joe Arce got the Exclusive Portraits of Al Roker on the Red Carpet at the Gala on June 1st, 2024.

In a Red Carpet Interview with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com at the 60th CIFF Summer Gala, Al Roker is grilled, and none of the questions have to do with the weather …

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Critic/Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com