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Ken Orsatti

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Ken Orsatti (January 31, 1932 – August 31, 2010) was an American director. Orsatti was the national executive director of the Screen Actors Guild from 1981 to 2000.[1]

Orsatti was born Alfred Kendall Orsatti in Los Angeles in 1932.[1] His father and two uncles were talent agents, who owned and operated a leading talent agency, the Orsatti Agency.[1] He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California in 1956.[1] Following graduation, Orsatti became a production assistant at Rorvic Productions, which was owned by his uncle, Victor Orsatti, and the actor Rory Calhoun.[1]

Orsatti became a business representative at the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) in 1960.[1] He left AFTRA in 1961 and joined the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).[1] He became the SAG's Western regional director in 1966.[1] He was promoted to SAG's Hollywood executive secretary in 1971, a position he held until 1981.[1]

Orsatti, became the executive director of the Screen Actors Guild in 1981. He negotiated and brokered more than 20 union contracts as SAG's chief negotiator during his nineteen-year tenure.[1]

In 1994, Orsatti told the Los Angeles Business Journal, "Someone once said that the perfect negotiation is one where both sides are unhappy. There's some truth to that."[1] He retired from the Screen Actors Guild in 2000.

Death

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Orsatti died on August 31, 2010, of pulmonary disease at West Hills Hospital in West Hills, Los Angeles, aged 78.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Ken Orsatti, former leader of Screen Actors Guild, dies at 78". Los Angeles Times. September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2010.