As a literary agent, he represented Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and many other science-fiction writers.
As editor of the magazine "Famous Monsters of Filmland", he was an inspiration to horror author Stephen King. King wrote a letter to Ackerman when he was a teenager, and Ackerman had it framed and put on display in his "Ackermansion".
Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Volume 155, pages 1-5. Farmington Hills, Michigan, 2007.
Cousin of actress Lonnie Blackman.
Described by his friends, including Stephen King, as the World's Greatest Science Fiction Fan.
Enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army on 15 August 1942 during World War II.
Famous for wordplay, he is credited with being the first to abbreviate science fiction to "sci-fi";
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 calls his home the "Ackermansion" and a 1997 collection of SF stories he edited was the "Ackermanthology!".
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.
He had one stepson, who was married with three children.
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?".
He once said he fell in love with science fiction when he was nine years old. He saw a magazine called "Amazing Stories", and kept that copy for the rest of his life.
He put up a flyer in a Los Angeles bookstore, announcing a science-fiction club he was starting. A teenager named Ray Bradbury attended the club meetings. Later, Ackerman helped Bradbury start his own sci-fi magazine, "Futuria Fantasia". He also helped pay for a trip to New York that helped launch Bradbury's writing career.
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.
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.
His collection at one time included 50,000 books, thousands of science-fiction magazines, and the cape worn by Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931).
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.
His stepson Michael Porjes died in July 2008 at age 67, just 5 months before he did, at age 92.
Long-time science-fiction fan, writer, editor, and agent.