Forrest J Ackerman

Forrest J Ackerman
Ackerman in 1965
Born
Forrest James Ackerman

(1916-11-24)November 24, 1916
DiedDecember 4, 2008(2008-12-04) (aged 92)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Magazine editor
  • science fiction writer
  • literary agent
  • actor

Forrest James Ackerman[1] (November 24, 1916 – December 4, 2008) was an American magazine editor; science fiction writer and literary agent; a founder of science fiction fandom; a leading expert on science fiction, horror, and fantasy films;[2] a prominent advocate of the Esperanto language; and one of the world's most avid collectors of genre books and film memorabilia.[3] He was based in Los Angeles, California.

As a literary agent, he represented such science fiction authors as Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, A.E. Van Vogt, Curt Siodmak, and L. Ron Hubbard.[4] For more than 70 years, he was one of science fiction's staunchest spokesmen and promoters. He was the founding editor and principal writer of the American magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland, published by Warren Publishing. He co-created the character Vampirella, based on the 1968 Jane Fonda film Barbarella.[5]

Ackerman also acted in films from the 1950s into the 21st century. He appears in several documentaries related to this period in popular culture, like Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman[6] (directed by Michael R. MacDonald[7] and written by Ian Johnston[8]), which premiered at the Egyptian Theatre in March 2009, during the Forrest J Ackerman tribute; The Ackermonster Chronicles![9] (a 2012 documentary about Ackerman[10] by writer and filmmaker Jason V. Brock); and Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man,[11] about late author Charles Beaumont, a former client of The Ackerman Agency.[12]

Also called "Forry",[13] "Uncle Forry", "The Ackermonster",[14] "Dr. Acula", "Forjak",[14] "4e"[14] and "4SJ",[13] Ackerman was central to the formation, organization and spread of science fiction fandom and a key figure in the wider cultural perception of science fiction as a literary, art, and film genre. Famous for his word play and neologisms, he coined the genre nickname "sci-fi".[15] In 1953, he was voted "#1 Fan Personality" by the members of the World Science Fiction Society, a unique Hugo Award never granted to anyone else.[16]

He was also among the first and most outspoken advocates of Esperanto in the science fiction community.[17][18]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference guardian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Robert Bloch. "Another Part of the Forrest" in Bloch's Out of My Head. Cambridge MA: NESFA Press, 198, 191-93
  3. ^ McLellan, Dennis (December 6, 2008). "Forrest J Ackerman, writer-editor who coined 'sci-fi,' dies at 92". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Corliss, Richard (December 6, 2008). "Sci-Fi's No. 1 Fanboy, Forrest J Ackerman, Dies at 92". Time. Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2015 – via content.time.com.
  5. ^ Arndt, Richard J. (September 22, 2008). "The Warren Magazines". Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2013. Additional Webcitation archive.
  6. ^ "Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman". IMDb.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  7. ^ "Michael R. MacDonald". IMDb.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  8. ^ "Ian Johnston". IMDb.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  9. ^ "The Ackermonster Chronicles!". IMDb.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  10. ^ "The AckerMonster Chronicles! (2012)". IMDb.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  11. ^ "Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man". IMDb.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  12. ^ French, Lawrence "Richard Matheson remembers his good friend Charles Beaumont" Archived September 24, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Cinefantastiqueonline.com, March 24, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  13. ^ a b The Warren Companion: The Definitive Compendium to the Great Comics of Warren Publishing, by David A. Roach and Jon B. Cooke; published 2001 by TwoMorrows Publishing
  14. ^ a b c Forrest J. Ackerman: Science-fiction magazine editor and collector of movie memorabilia Archived February 26, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, by John Clute, in The Independent; published December 31, 2008; retrieved February 6, 2018
  15. ^ "Forrest J Ackerman, 92; Coined the Term 'Sci-Fi'". December 7, 2008. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  16. ^ "1953 Hugo Awards". Hugo Awards. July 26, 2007. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference time was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ 4forry.best.vwh.net Archived July 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · View on Wikipedia

Developed by Tubidy