Ken Wales obit

Ken Wales went to be with the Lord

 He was not on the list.

I just found out that Ken Wales went to be with the Lord on August 21. The news brought back a flood of memories.

Sometime in 2004 I heard from my friend Sean Gaffney that Ken, who had produced the original Pink Panther films, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Christy, and many others, was interested in producing the rest of the Chariots of Fire story. I was working on Beyond the Chariots, my one-man play that tells that story, at the time, so I was very interested in auditioning for Eric Liddell in the film.

At the time I knew they were working on Amazing Grace, so I was shocked when Ken called me up. I told him about my play and hoped he could see a reading of it at a Christians in Theatre Arts gathering near him that year, hoping he'd think of me for Liddell. He shocked me again when he mentioned that they didn't have a script yet!

In 2006 I was back in LA, and I invited him to a performance. He saw it, and took the stage afterward to tell the audience how much he loved it. At a late dinner he invited me to work on the screenplay.

I invited him to teach at the MasterWorks Festival two different summers, and he always made an effort to meet with each student, to hear their dreams and encourage them. One of the reasons he was so enthusiastic about encouraging the next generation was that Walt Disney invited him to stay in his home when Ken was in high school. Walt wanted to hear from a young person, and Ken's principal recommended him. At the end of the week, Walt took him around Disneyland, which I believe was still in testing mode at the time. On the It's a Small World ride Walt asked Ken what he wanted to do in life. When Ken told him he wanted to make movies, Walt took out his personal checkbook and wrote out a check for Ken's tuition for five years at the University of Southern California film school.

At MasterWorks and Christians in Theatre Arts, Ken would stay up until the wee hours telling stories of his adventures in Hollywood with students. I remember being shocked once that he beat me to the classroom where he was teaching first thing in the morning after he'd kept many of us up past 2:00 a.m.!

Ken's greatest help with my career was probably when he recommended me for Alone Yet Not Alone, which he was producing . I landed a small role, but it connected me with so many wonderful people that I've worked with over the years.

Sadly, Ken got dementia before we were able to get our screenplay to market.

I got to visit Ken once after that. I made him weep as I reminded him of some of the stories he told me and thanked him for his great influence on my life and career. I'll always be glad I was able to spend that time with him.

Join me in praying for more mentors and producers like Ken to rise up and create films that point people to Christ.

Ken Wales was born on August 13, 1938 in Salem, Indiana, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Amazing Grace (2006), The Party (1968) and East of Eden (1981). He died on August 21, 2021.

Actor

The Prodigal (1983)

The Prodigal

5.6

Crusade Chairman

1983

 

Darling Lili (1970)

Darling Lili

6.0

Gypsy (uncredited)

1970

 

The Party (1968)

The Party

7.4

Assistant Director

1968

 

Gunn (1967)

Gunn

6.0

Police Capt. Brady

1967

 

James Coburn, Giovanna Ralli, and Dick Shawn in What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)

What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?

6.6

Pfc. Blair

1966

 

Natalie Wood, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon in The Great Race (1965)

The Great Race

7.2

Baron's Guard

1965

 

Honeymoon Hotel (1964)

Honeymoon Hotel

5.1

Mr. Jones (uncredited)

1964

 

Jim Backus, Joan Blondell, Glenn Ford, Stella Stevens, and Melvyn Douglas in Advance to the Rear (1964)

Advance to the Rear

5.9

Aide (uncredited)

1964

 

Red Buttons, Carolyn Jones, Shirley Jones, and Gig Young in A Ticklish Affair (1963)

A Ticklish Affair

5.8

Seaman Harris (uncredited)

1963

 

Whitney Blake, Shirley Booth, Bobby Buntrock, and Don DeFore in Hazel (1961)

Hazel

7.2

TV Series

Phil

1962

1 episode

 

Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, and Stefanie Powers in Experiment in Terror (1962)

Experiment in Terror

7.3

FBI Agent (uncredited)

1962

 

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962)

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

6.5

Man (uncredited)

1962

 

Operation Bottleneck (1961)

Operation Bottleneck

4.9

1st Commander

1961

 

Cry for Happy (1961)

Cry for Happy

5.8

Ensign Daly (uncredited)

1961

 

George Hamilton, Jim Hutton, Connie Francis, Dolores Hart, and Yvette Mimieux in Where the Boys Are (1960)

Where the Boys Are

6.7

Minor Role (uncredited)

1960

 

Jane Fonda and Anthony Perkins in Tall Story (1960)

Tall Story

5.9

Cheerleader (uncredited)

1960

 

Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds, and Herman in The Gazebo (1959)

The Gazebo

6.8

Second Engineer (uncredited)

1959

 

Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds in It Started with a Kiss (1959)

It Started with a Kiss

6.0

Lieutenant (uncredited)

1959

 

Flight (1958)

Flight

7.7

TV Series

1958–1959

2 episodes

 

Ernest Borgnine, Glenn Ford, and Diana Brewster in Torpedo Run (1958)

Torpedo Run

6.4

Meadows (uncredited)

1958

 

Producer

Kate Mara and David Oyelowo in Captive (2015)

Captive

5.4

producer

2015

 

Alone Yet Not Alone (2013)

Alone Yet Not Alone

4.7

executive producer

2013

 

Romola Garai and Ioan Gruffudd in Amazing Grace (2006)

Amazing Grace

7.4

producer

2006

 

Kellie Martin in Christy (1994)

Christy

7.8

TV Series

executive producer

1994

1 episode

 

Kellie Martin in Christy (1994)

Christy

7.8

TV Movie

executive producer

1994

 

Door to Door (1984)

Door to Door

5.8

producer

1984

 

The Prodigal (1983)

The Prodigal

5.6

producer

1983

 

Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless in Cagney & Lacey (1981)

Cagney & Lacey

6.9

TV Series

associate producer

1982

6 episodes

 

East of Eden (1981)

East of Eden

7.4

TV Mini Series

co-producer

1981

3 episodes

 

Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)

Revenge of the Pink Panther

6.6

associate producer

1978

 

Islands in the Stream (1977)

Islands in the Stream

6.5

associate producer

1977

 

Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif in The Tamarind Seed (1974)

The Tamarind Seed

6.4

producer

1974

 

Julie Andrews in Julie (1972)

Julie

7.9

producer

1972

 

William Holden and Ryan O'Neal in Wild Rovers (1971)

Wild Rovers

6.5

producer

1971

 

Darling Lili (1970)

Darling Lili

6.0

associate producer

1970

 

The Party (1968)

The Party

7.4

associate producer

1968

 

Waterhole #3 (1967)

Waterhole #3

6.1

associate producer

1967

 

Gunn (1967)

Gunn

6.0

associate producer

1967

 

Production Manager

Kellie Martin in Christy (1994)

Christy

7.8

TV Series

unit production manager

1994

1 episode

 

Camera and Electrical Department

We Got Issues (2017)

We Got Issues

6.9

TV Series

camera operator

2017

24 episodes

 

Location Management

Yes, Giorgio (1982)

Yes, Giorgio

3.8

location consultant

1982

 

Additional Crew

James Coburn, Giovanna Ralli, and Dick Shawn in What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)

What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?

6.6

dialogue supervisor

1966

 

Natalie Wood, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon in The Great Race (1965)

The Great Race

7.2

dialogue supervisor

1965

 

Self

The 20th Annual Movieguide Awards (2012)

The 20th Annual Movieguide Awards

TV Special

Self

2012

 

The Party Revolution

6.5

Video

Self

2004

 

Inside 'The Party'

6.7

Video

Self

2004