Ken Wlaschin(1934-2009)

Nebraskan native, Ken Wlaschin, was an actor early in his career, but became a foundational film festival programmer, historian and author. He was the programmer of the National Film Theater in London, in addition to the London Film Festival from 1969-1984. According to The British Film Institute, Ken was the longest-serving programmer in both those positions and he "made an enormous contribution to the international reputation of the NFT and the LFF." Upon returning to the states, he became interim director of Hollywood-based Filmex, and programmed the AFI Film Festival; starting in 1987. In the '90s, Wlaschin took the position as director of creative affairs at the American Film Institute and later on, as the vice chairman of the National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the AFI. Wlaschin was the author of numerous books on the cinema, including "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Great Movie Stars and Their Films" (Bonanza Books, 1980), "Opera on Screen" (Beachwood Press, 1997); and "The Encyclopedia of Opera on Screen" (Yale University Press, 2004).