The Father of "Sci-Fi" has died.

Unlike a lot of my friends who follow Science Fiction, this news caused me to actually be depressed. The father of "Sci-Fi" is someone that most people know absolutely nothing about. But, thanks to the fact that I share one common trait with him, I've looked into this man's history.

The father of Sci-Fi, Mr. Forrest James Ackerman passed away today. Now, while MOST of you probably are asking yourself two questions. First, probably being who the hell is Forrest James Ackerman? The second one is why I'm calling him the "father of Sci-Fi"?

Well, let's get into that second one first. Mr. Ackerman is the "Father of Sci-Fi" not because he was the best writer, or one of those masters you know today. He's not Ray Bradbury, or Robert Heinlein, or Carl Sagan, or H.G. Wells, or even Sir Author Conan Doyle. No, Mr. Ackerman was a man that is credited for creating the actual term "Sci-Fi" back in the 1950's after hearing advertisements for the then popular "Hi-Fi". Taking the concept of abbreviation to it's ultimate level, the term 'Fantasy, or Science-Fiction' was normally used to describe the same products of the time. Even some very poor movies of those days were still being called 'Kid's movies' because they would include such unthinkable concepts as portable telephones, being able to hold live-conversations across the world from home on 'personal' computers that fit on people's desks, or god forbid actual Space travel to different bodies in space.

Mr. Ackerman was the man that brought all those different names for fictional works under one title. While a lot of people today wish to separate 'Fantasy' movies and writing from "Science-Fiction" based movies and stories, the truth is, that Mr. Ackerman gave them all one home when he coined the phrase "Sci-Fi". When he was still in his late 30's he created and edited "Famous Monsters of Filmland" (aka "Famous Monsters" or just "FM") for the next 25yrs. This alone brought the young creative talents and 'legends' into one place for being noticed by non-fans. As the years passed, this is still one of the MOST influential magazines EVER created to later generations of writers and creators. Such names as Heinlein, Bradbury, Sagan, Asimov, King, and even Tolkien have all mentioned that Famous Monsters was an influence on either a work, or Famous Monsters gave them a 'break in the industry' or an influx of new fans that may have never read their works.

However, Mr. Ackerman's influences don't just stop at being the creator of a term, or the editor of a little magazine. He's also credited for bringing Ray Bradbury to popularity. And for helping the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, Inc. to thrive for over 70 years. He made lifelong friendships with not only Ray Bradbury, but also Ray Harryhausen (Producer of Sci-Fi classic "Clash of the Titans")

Before his death, Mr. Ackerman's mansion in Las Angles was known to hold the LARGEST private collection of Sci-fi based movies, books, magazines and memorabilia. Including such memorable items as the actual cape worn by Bela Lugosi from the 1931 film "Dracula." Sadly, due to physical illness and mounting medical bills, a large chunk of his private collection was auctioned off in 2002. Selling part of his over 300,000 item collection was heartbreaking, but it DID allow Mr. Ackerman to open the remaining items to be used to as a display in a smaller house for tours. (While I'm not sure if this will still be allowed, I only hope that his estate will let the tours continue.)

So, that's who Mr. Ackerman was to the world of Sci-Fi. But, just who was he to you?

Well, he was also an actor that got several 'uncredited' or 'small' roles that most people will not know of. He's been in such films as:
The Time Travelers (1964) .... Square-frame technician
Queen of Blood (1966) (as Forrest Ackerman) .... Farraday's aide *AKA Planet of Terror
Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971) (as Forest J Ackerman) .... Dr. Beaumont
King Kong (1976) (uncredited) .... Fleeing extra in crowd
The Howling (1981) (uncredited) .... Bookstore Customer
The Aftermath (1982) .... Museum curator *AKA Zombie Aftermath
Scalps (1983) .... Prof. Trentwood
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) .... U.S. President
Evil Spawn (1987) .... Pool Man
Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988) .... Harvey Kramer (Special Zombie)
Transylvania Twist (1990) .... Funeral Director
Hard to Die (1990) .... Dr. Ed Newton *AKA Tower of Terror
Braindead (1992) .... Forry
Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfolds (1995) .... Dracula
Just to name a few.

Was also the technical adviser for:
The Wizard of Mars (1965)
Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971)
and CreepTales (2004)

Mr. Ackerman's contributions to the whole genre of science fiction is by far one of the most influential figures in the history of the genre. There is absolutely no one that has been involved in the science fiction genre that has more respect and love for the good and bad works that fit into the category. Never before, and possibly never again, will one man hold so much sway over a creative field of talents that is still being felt by generations today. While his own personal stories or tales might never see the light of day, his editorial and creative influences will be. There is very little doubt as to why Mr. Forrest J Ackerman is the father of "Sci-Fi", it's just a question of will his creation show the respect he deserves?

Oh, and that single common trait? At the age of 9yrs old, Mr. Ackerman got his hands on a magazine "Amazing Stories" and fell in love with the whole genre that would be known as "Sci-Fi", at 9yrs old, I got my hands on a copy of 'Amazing Stories' as well, and I've been hooked ever since.