Former UCLA Theater, Film and TV Dean Was 84

Robert “Bob” Rosen, a pioneering film historian, archivist and former dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, has died. He was 84.

Rosen died Wednesday, UCLA said without specifying a cause of death. Born in 1940, Rosen was named Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 1999, a position he held for slightly more than a decade.

Before that, he served as director of archives at UCLA starting in 1975, growing the school’s original film and TV vault into a world-leading collection. That appointment grew out of an invitation to teach one 10-week course at the UCLA Department of Film and Television in 1974.

“I never left. Understanding motion pictures and teaching filmmakers was to become my life’s goal, and over the course of the next four decades, I served as professor, then department chair, and finally for 11 years as dean of the school,” Rosen said during an informal conversation at the 68th International Federation of Film Archives Congress in Beijing in 2012.

“Bob was a transformative figure at UCLA, and his contributions to the field of film and television education, as well as his leadership here at the School of Theater, Film and Television, have left an indelible mark on our community,” UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Dean Brian Kite said in a statement. “Bob’s impact on the global film community was profound, and his legacy will continue to shape the industry for years to come.”

In 2008, Rosen told the Associated Press that studying classic films helped young filmmakers find new ways to tell stories and discover their own point-of-view. “When you look at films from the past, you see the many different ways that filmmakers solve storytelling problems,” he noted. “And you break with formulas because you realize there are many ways to solve a problem. By looking at the past, you get the courage to find your own voice.”

Rosen also was the founding director of the National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the American Film Institute. He served on the executive committee of the International Federation of Film Archives, as a member of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress for more than two decades and as a board member of both the Stanford Theatre Foundation and the Geffen Playhouse.

He was the film critic for KCRW National Public Radio for 10 years and a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. He helped launch The Film Foundation and was the founding chair of The Film Foundation’s Archivists Council. 

He also received The Film Foundation’s John Huston Award from Martin Scorsese in 2008 for his contributions to film preservation and restoration.

“A titan of the film community, Bob elevated the field of archiving by championing training and advocating for the preservation of moving image media in all forms, from classic Hollywood to independent productions,” May Hong HaDuong, director of the UCLA Film & Television Archive, said. “With advocacy, passion and an indomitable spirit, Bob played a pivotal role in transforming the UCLA Film & Television Archive into the world-class institution it is today.”