Background and career
Chaz Ebert (née Hammel, previously Hammel-Smith, born October 15, 1952) is an American businesswoman and former lawyer. She is best known for her marriage to film critic Roger Ebert, having been married to him from 1992 until his death in 2013.
Ebert was born Charlie Hammel in Chicago, Illinois, to Johnnie Hobbs Hammel and Wiley Hammel Sr. She attended Crane Technical High School in Chicago. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Dubuque, a Master of Arts from University of Wisconsin–Platteville, and a Juris Doctor from the DePaul University College of Law.
Ebert 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, a website that contains an archive of her deceased 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. 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 in 2013 and until 2026, Ebert became the host of Ebertfest, an annual film festival held in Champaign, Illinois, in collaboration with the UIUC College of Media. On September 28, 2022, during the 2022 Screen Gems Benefit, Ebert announced that she would make her directorial debut on a documentary about Deborah Szekely, the centenarian so-called godmother of health and fitness. The film, entitled The Wellness Warrior, premiered on October 26, 2024, at the Chicago International Film Festival. On May 7, 2024, Ebert published a book entitled It's Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness, about the importance of forgiveness, empathy, compassion, and kindness, inspired by the work of her late husband Roger Ebert.
Ebert has two children from her first marriage to Merle Smith, whom she divorced. She was married to film critic Roger Ebert from 1992 until his death in 2013.
Chaz Ebert (May 7, 2024). It's Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness. Forefront Books. ISBN 9781637632475.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
