Screen Actors Guild Mourns Passing of Former National Executive Director Ken Orsatti

Los Angeles (September 1, 2010)  - Screen Actors Guild mourns the loss of former SAG National Executive Director Ken Orsatti, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 78 of pulmonary disease at West Hills Hospital in West Hills, Calif. Orsatti served as national executive director from 1981 through the beginning of 2001. During his tenure as NED, Orsatti also served as the Guild’s chief negotiator, a period that saw dramatic expansion of the union’s contracts and record setting earnings for its members. He was a SAG employee since 1961.

Orsatti served as a trustee of the SAG-Producers Pension & Health Plans for more than 35 years, and proudly served as a vice president of the International Federation of Actors (FIA). He successfully led a campaign to organize the advertising industry in the Guild’s Branches and helped negotiate numerous local and regional contracts that created work opportunities for thousands of members.

He helped found the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and served on its board while he worked at SAG and after his retirement. He served on the Industry Advancement and Cooperative Fund (IACF) and as an officer of the California AFL-CIO.

“Ken served this union with loyalty and devotion for nearly 40 years and touched many people in the entertainment industry labor scene,” said SAG President Ken Howard. “He will long be remembered for wholeheartedly working to protect the rights of our members.”

“Ken’s legacy of service to the Guild is tremendous,” said current SAG National Executive Director David White. “The loss of his presence will be felt by all of us and he will be greatly missed. We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Patti and their sons.”

“He was not only respected throughout the industry but it is fair to say that he was cherished by many on both sides of the bargaining table,” said SAG Senior Advisor John McGuire. “Staff members across the country were especially fond of him but so were many union leaders, especially in his home state of California. Ken was gentle and kind, true to his friends, a dedicated and loving family man, and a lover of life. He leaves behind an awe-inspiring legacy of caring, leadership and friendship to inspire us all.”

Orsatti began his career at SAG as a theatrical business representative in Hollywood. In 1966, he was named SAG’s Southwest regional director. Orsatti was then promoted to the position of Hollywood executive director and assistant national executive director. He served in those capacities until being named the Guild’s national executive director in 1981. As SAG’s chief negotiator, he negotiated approximately 20 major Guild contracts.

In telling the SAG National Board of his retirement in October 2000, Orsatti said, “It’s not easy to be leaving, but I’m leaving you as the strongest performers’ union in the world. I’m very proud of having been part of that achievement.” In 2001, Orsatti was presented with the prestigious Ralph Morgan Award, the highest service award presented by the SAG Hollywood Division. That same year, the SAG Foundation established the Ken Orsatti Scholarship for Guild employees.

He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1952 and received a B.S. degree in business administration from the University of Southern California in 1956 and a graduate degree from USC in 1959. 

Orsatti is survived by his wife of 49 years, Patricia, and their three sons Scott, Christopher and Sean, and their grandchildren Adam, Anthony, Gianna, Kenny, Nolan and Kenzie.

The family has chosen cremation and will have a small service at Oakwood Memorial Park and Cemetery in Chatsworth, Calif. Date not yet set. 

In lieu of flowers, the family is suggesting contributions in his honor to the Ken Orsatti Scholarship fund at the SAG Foundation .

About SAG
Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents more than 125,000 actors who work in film and digital television programs, motion pictures, commercials, video games, music videos, industrials and all new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at SAG.org.

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