Forrest James Ackerman

Forrest James Ackerman was a science fiction and horror writer and editor. Melton, J. G. (1999). The Vampire Book. 2 ed. p.1-3
== Biography ==
Forrest James Ackerman was born in Los Angeles in 1916. In 1932 he cofounded The Time Travelers, the first sci-fi magazine. He went to the University of California at Berkeley from 1934 to 1935, then had a number of jobs and spent three years in the military. 
He was a member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Science Fiction League, one of the earliest sci-fi fan clubs, and in 1939 attended the first sci-fi fan convention. In 1947 he founded the Ackerman Science Fiction Agency, and then spent his life promoting both sci-fi and horror, both as books and films. He was often seen as a behind-the-scenes mover in the development of the genres in the 20th Century. As well as writing his own works, he also acted as an agent for a number of other writers. 
In 1953, he was awarded the first Hugo Award as the number one sci-fi fan personality.
He is most well-known by the public for his work as editor and writer of Famous Monsters of Filmland, a magazine that started in 1958 when monster movies became more prominent. The magazine was published for 25 years. Ackerman sold the rights to the magazine to James Warren, and was originally meant to be a one-off publication, and only became a regular magazine due to its popularity. 
In both 1963 and 1966 he was awarded the Ann Radcliffe Award by The Count Dracula Society. 
He is also notable for being the co-creator of Vampirella, based on Barbarella, in 1969, which has since gone on to become one of the most successful vampire comic books of all time, with a number of revivals. 
He was given a special award at the Dracula '97: A Centennial Celebration in Los Angeles for his lifetime of service to the horror genre. 
Throughout his career, he accumulated a notable collection of literature and artifacts, which he housed at his Ackermansion in Hollywood. Included in this collection were Bela Lugosi's Dracula cape and over 200 different editions of Bram Stoker's Dracula. 
== Famous Quotes ==
"A vampire a day keeps the doctor away" ~Dr. Acula, Monsters Are Good for You (Famous Monsters of Filmland #1)
== Works ==
=== Literature ===
* Famous Monsters of Filmland (1958-1983)
* London After Midnight Revisited (1981)
=== Film Roles ===
* Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971) - Dr. Beumont
* Queen of Blood (1966) - Farraday's aide
== See Also ==
* Roger Vadim
* Tod Browning
== References ==
Category:The Vampire Book
Category:Authors