The fantasy buff who coined the term ‘sci-fi’
Forrest J Ackerman
1916–2008
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One day in 1954, Forrest J Ackerman heard a radio announcer talking about “hi-fi.” At that moment, he said, he coined the shorthand term “sci-fi.” “My dear wife said, ‘Forget it, Forry, it will never catch on.’” But it did, because Ackerman was the country’s most tireless cheerleader and devotee of the science-fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. The author and editor of many anthologies and magazines, Ackerman also amassed a legendary memorabilia trove that filled his 18-room Los Angeles home.
His strange interest began to jell early on, said The New York Times. At 6, he was captivated by the film One Glorious Day, about “a disembodied spirit that takes over the soul of a tired professor.” That led him to science-fiction magazines. Following World War II, he founded a literary agency that represented such giants as Isaac Asimov, A.E. van Vogt, and especially Ray Bradbury, whom he personally supported. “Between 1958 and 1983, Ackerman wrote and edited Famous Monsters of Filmland, a seminal black-and-white magazine heavily illustrated with photographs from his collection.”
“Ackerman was the ultimate fan’s fan,” said the Los Angeles Times. He helped inspire Steven Spielberg and Stephen King, and “was a celebrity in his own right, once signing 10,000 autographs during a three-day monster-movie convention in New York City.” The public knew him best for his collection of 300,000 books, posters, props, masks, costumes, and other fantasy-themed items. “The jam-packed repository included everything from a Dracula cape worn by Bela Lugosi to Mr. Spock’s pointy ears to the paper-plate flying saucer used by director Ed Wood in Plan 9 From Outer Space.” Every Saturday Ackerman would open his house to the curious. “My wife used to say, ‘How can you let strangers into our home?’ But what’s the point of having a collection like this if you can’t let people enjoy it?”
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