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