William K. Everson
William K. Everson was a prominent figure in the world of film history and preservation, born on April 8, 1929, in Yeovil, Somerset, England. Initially named Keith William Everson, he changed his name to honor the American director William K. Howard, reflecting his lifelong passion for cinema that began in childhood. Everson's career began in the film industry as a publicity man before he moved to the United States in 1950, where he worked in various capacities, including foreign publicity manager for Monogram Productions and later as a writer and producer for television.
He was deeply involved in academia, teaching film history at renowned institutions such as New York University and Harvard University from 1958 onwards. Everson co-directed the Telluride Film Festival for a decade and was an advocate for film preservation, amassing an extensive collection of silent films. His influential writings, including the seminal book "American Silent Film," contributed significantly to film scholarship. Over his lifetime, he authored nearly twenty books and numerous articles on cinema. Everson passed away on April 14, 1996, in New York City, leaving behind a lasting legacy as a passionate educator and film historian.
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William K. Everson
Writer
- Born: April 8, 1929
- Birthplace: Yeovil, Somersetshire, England
- Died: April 14, 1996
- Place of death: Manhattan, New York
Biography
William Keith Everson was born on April 8, 1929, in Yeovil, Somerset, England, the son of aviation engineer Percival Wilfred and Catherine (née Ward) Everson. William was actually christened Keith William Everson, but would later change the order of his names in honor of American director William K. Howard—an indication of the devotion he would develop for motion pictures.
Everson believed that he saw his first film at the age of one, and certainly became hooked on the medium within a few years. As a young man, he won a scholarship to Isleworth County School but was largely self-educated, teaching himself to read with film magazines and trade newspapers. He was married twice, the second time to Karen Latham; he had two children from his first marriage.
While still in his early teens, Everson went to work in London as a publicity man for Renown Pictures in 1944, leaving only when he was drafted into the British army in 1947. After the war (during which he served in Germany) he worked briefly as a publicist and manager for London-based Monseigneur News Theatres. In 1950, Everson followed his friends Alex and Richard Gordon to New York City, where Everson was employed as foreign publicity manager for Monogram (later Allied Artists) Productions from 1951 to 1956. Subsequently he wrote, edited, and produced for Sterling Television in New York City. Beginning in 1958, Everson held a number of academic positions, teaching film history at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Harvard University, the New School for Social Research, and the School of Visual Arts. During this period, he also worked on a number of television projects related to classic films, including Movie Museum, Silents Please, and Hollywood, the Golden Years. In addition, he served as a representative of the American Film Institute. From 1977 to 1987 he co-directed Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival.
Later generations of film lovers and critics testified to Everson’s inspiring enthusiasm for movies and his passion for preservation. Besides holding countless screenings of rare and important films in his own apartment, he helped organize the Theodore Huff Society in the 1950’s in order to offer screenings to a wider audience. By the time he died, he had assembled an important collection of more than four thousand silent films, many of them unique.
Besides teaching, Everson wrote enthusiastically and prolifically about movies. His book American Silent Film was recognized as a key work on its publication in 1978 and became a classic in the field. Everson produced nearly twenty books in all, including surveys of comedies, Westerns, mysteries, and horror films, as well as studies of such early movie greats as Laurel and Hardy, W. C. Fields, Hal Roach, and Claudette Colbert. He also wrote for cinema journals. Everson died at the age of sixty-seven of prostate cancer on April 14, 1996, in New York City.