Forrest J. Ackerman

He met his wife, Mathilde Wahrman (1912-1990), when she worked as a clerk in the book section of the May Company in Los Angeles. It was her first job upon arriving from Germany. He nicknamed her "Wendayne" and always referred to her thereafter as "Wendy".

Forrest J. Ackerman was born on November 24, 1916 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Forrest James Ackerman.

His collection at one time included 50,000 books, thousands of science-fiction magazines, and the cape worn by Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931).

It had long believed that the ring Boris Karloff wore in The Mummy (1932) has been in the possession of Forrest J. Ackerman for many decades, however this was, once and for all, debunked in September of 2017, when a video surfaced comparing both rings in extreme close-up: Ackerman's ring was not even a close match for Karloff's. It was auctioned off in May of 2009 as "Ackerman's Mummy Ring", along with photos of Karloff wearing his, but the auctioneer's website did disclaim that it wasn't the original one worn by Boris Karloff.

He had a stepson, Michael Porjes, who was born on January 17, 1941 in Palestine (the place is now in Israel). Michael was married with three children. He died in July 2008 at age 67, just 5 months before Forrest.

Enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army on 15 August 1942 during World War II.

Received a special Hugo award as a Fan Personality in 1953.

His main claim to fame was as the creator and editor of the groundbreaking magazine "Famous Monsters of Filmland" (aka "Famous Monsters" or just "FM") started in 1958. Many highly successful filmmakers who emerged in the 1970s and 80s were former readers who cite the magazine for developing their interest in film.

He has an uncredited cameo in The Howling (1981) as a bookstore customer looking at "Famous Monsters of Filmland" (a magazine he founded). The bookstore owner growls at him: "Hey! You gonna buy anything?".

Wife Wendayne died of kidney failure in 1990, after refusing to have any more dialysis treatment.

He was an actor, known for Braindead (1992), The Wizard of Speed and Time (1988) and Vampirella (1996). He was married to Mathilde "Wendayne" Wahrman.

He was co-editor, with Hank Stine (aka Jean Stine), of the 1994 book "Reel Future," an anthology of 16 stories that were turned into science fiction/horror films.

He calls his home the "Ackermansion" and a 1997 collection of SF stories he edited was the "Ackermanthology!".

Owns a large collection of SF/horror books and film memorabilia. For information about visits see his web site. (1998)

Forced by health and lack of reimbursement from a winning lawsuit, Ackerman held a huge yard sale in September, 2002, that included thousands of pieces of science fiction movie memorabilia. This was part of the process of selling his home, the Ackermansion, and liquidating the bulk of his 300,000-piece collection. Ackerman had tried to find a museum to take the collection without success. Optimistically, he settled in a nearby smaller home with plans to continue to allow tours of the remains of his treasures.

He was (and remains) a member of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, Inc. It was there that he started a life long friendship with writer Ray Bradbury and special effects creator Ray Harryhausen. He attended the LASFS' 70th anniversary meeting in October 2004.

Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Volume 155, pages 1-5. Farmington Hills, Michigan, 2007.

He died in December 2008, the year that marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first issue of "Famous Monsters of Filmland," and less than two weeks after celebrating his 92nd birthday.

The Forrest J Ackerman Estate Auction was held April 30-May 1, 2009 and organized by Profiles In History.