Trivia

Film historian and archivist.

Birth name was Keith William Everson, but he reversed his first and middle names to allow for the initials "William K.", in honor of one of his favorite filmmakers, William K. Howard.

In his teens worked as a publicity manager for Renown Pictures, a distribution company for British films. Served in the British Army 1946-48. Emigrated to the U.S. in 1950, working as writer and editor on retrospective TV programs on motion picture history. He lectured at the School of Visual Arts, 1964-84 and held tenure as professor of cinema studies at New York University's Tisch School of Arts.

A key preservationist, he owned a vast personal collection of obscure or forgotten Hollywood movies, which he made available for public screenings at film festivals and for film societies.

He taught at NYU School of the Arts film program for many years. His courses included overviews of Westerns, English film, and comedy.