William Rotsler(1926-1997)

William Rotsler was a man of many talents applied to an odd assortment of fields. In addition to his film work, he was an artist, a sculptor, an author, and a photographer--often of nudes. Within the science fiction world he is best known for his many cartoons, which he often would provide free to SF fanzines. He was also involved in the design of the Science Fiction Writers of America Nebula Award (and also provided some of the components). He was a four-time Hugo Award winner (1975, 1979, 1996, and 1997) for Best Fan Artist. In 1998 the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests created the William Rotsler Award in his honor; it is presented for lifetime achievements by SF fan artists. Written works include: "Patron of the Arts" (1974), "Shiva Descending" (with Gregory Benford, 1980), and "Science Fictionisms" (1995). Some of his cartoon work can be seen in "The Kong Papers" (written with Harlan Ellison) and "Shall We Indulge in Rishathra?" (written with Larry Niven). During the last ten years of his life, he was cameraman for the U.S.-shot sequences of the French TV Destination séries (1992), working with Bill Warren.