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The Archive is very fortunate to have known and worked with Kathryn Reed Altman, who passed away March 9 in Santa Monica, CA. Mrs. Altman generously provided support on a number of Archive projects dedicated to director Robert Altman, including a retrospective, two film restorations and the donation of his private film collection to UCLA. She was vital in the continuation of her husband’s cinematic legacy — a vast and innovative body of work that helped inspire a new era of American filmmaking.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Kathryn Altman,” said Archive director Jan-Christopher Horak, “who many years ago designated the Archive to be the caretaker of the Robert Altman Collection and we will always be grateful for her support.”
“When the Archive, newly enriched by Robert Altman's moving image collections, began presenting various programs devoted to the prolific filmmaker, capped by a major retrospective in 2014, Kathryn Altman emerged an invaluable resource and friend to the Archive,” remembers Shannon Kelley, head of public programs. “A committed keeper of the flame, deeply devoted to her husband's legacy, she was refreshingly interested in the human side of Robert Altman's work — in the creative community he had fostered, and in how his films found new life and relevance in encounters with contemporary audiences. A trusted and greatly loved figure to Altman's numerous collaborators, Kathryn equally endeared herself to our organization with her clear-eyed assessments of films and people, her generous spirit and her dry and unsparing sense of humor. She is sorely missed.”
Kathryn Altman, Jan-Christopher Horak, actor Karen Black and Shannon Kelley at the 2011 screening of the Archive restoration of Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982). Mrs. Altman also joined us in 2013 to present the Archive restoration of That Cold Day in the Park (1969).
Conversation with Kathryn Altman at the Billy Wilder Theater.
California-born Kathryn Reed began in the film industry as a swimmer in the Esther Williams musical Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), and played other small roles to support her daughter as a single mother. She met director Robert Altman in 1959 during the making of the television show Whirlybirds and married later that year, remaining together until Mr. Altman’s passing in 2006. Mrs. Altman was an active participant in the director’s professional life. Actor Lauren Hutton recalled, “Kathryn was half the team, for sure […] She was incredibly gracious to everyone and knew everything that was going on.” Actor-director Mark Rydell similarly noted, “She was the absolute cornerstone of his career […] She deserves as much credit as a filmmaker as he does.” (Zuckoff, 262).
Mrs. Altman was also instrumental in the founding of the Robert Altman archive at the University of Michigan, which houses thousands of paper and audiovisual materials. In 2014, she co-authored Altman, a scrapbook memoir featuring an extensive collection of personal photos, essays and interviews.
Work Cited: Zuckoff, Mitchell, ed. Robert Altman: The Oral Biography. New York: Knopf, 2009.
—Jennifer Rhee, Digital Content Manager
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