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y God's grace, the life and work of a contemporary Hollywood producer and actor was formed. God led Christian men of character to demonstrate God's love and practice biblical principles to young Ken Wales. By their life example and leadership, they shaped a leader in Christendom today, who has left a legacy for society through his work and his example of service.

Producer Ken Wales and loan Gruffudd as William Wilberforce in "Amazing Grace," a Samuel Goldwyn and Roadside Attractions film. Photo credit: Murray Close (c) 2006 Bristol Bay Productions LLC.

Today, God is using the Primetime Emmy ® nominee and pastor's son, Dr. Ken Wales, producer of the recent box office hit "Amazing Grace." For TV, he co-produced the Emmy and Golden Globe winner, John Steinbeck's "East of Eden," the TV series, "Christy," and associate-produced the first season of "Cagney and Lacy."

Find good role models and mentors for your children.

Little did Ken's father know that his unselfish mentoring for his young son, through other wise men, would form Ken into a man of character, whose name and reputation today is known worldwide and has been respected through several generations of Hollywood moguls.

Praise for parents

Ken Wales

God blessed Ken with a wise influential father and mother. Ken shares, "Mom and Dad were a wonderful pair. They were very much in love. I'm so fortunate. I had great parents!"

His father went to Yale Divinity School, one of the great divinity schools in the 1930s. "Back then, Yale produced prominent Protestant American preachers. My dad was part of that," says Ken. "Among Dad's classmates were James Mitchner, who wrote novels such as "Centennial" and "Hawaii," and Clark Kerr, who was president of the University of California from 1958 to 1967. Ken's father went to Swarthmore, Butler, then on to Yale Divinity School, where he became class president in his senior year 1935-1936.

"My Dad appreciated art. He was a storyteller. I lived out Dad's energetic stride for the art of storytelling in my acting and producing," says Ken.

Ken's Mom was a creative artist, singer, and "a wonderful junior high teacher." She taught Shakespeare, creative writing, English and world history for many years. "She was a great inspiration to many students. Lives were changed by what my mom taught. I still get letters from her students. Mom was an altruistic leader. She was a mentor and a catalyst to students' lives being changed for decades."

She influenced Ken with the requirement that he "do it right." He recalls, "My mom taught, ‘Always do it with excellence!' She formed my standard for quality in work. She had artistic taste and talent."

Mentoring

Ken's parents fell in love, married, and were blessed with a son. After a couple of winters in an Indiana pastorate, enduring extremely cold weather, by God's providence Ken's father told three-year old Ken, "we're going west young man." Ken's dad had accepted a pastorate at the Christian Church in Santa Monica, California. There, Ken's parents built a small home and made wise decisions that greatly influenced his life.

Ken Wales at MasterWorks Festival, Winona Lake, Indiana, Summer 2007.

Ken's father, Rev. Dr. Wales Smith, did much to help Ken develop skills so that he could have a successful career. Pastor Smith unselfishly encouraged capable, wise men to build relationships with Ken and share their expertise in areas they themselves had mastered.

Ken's dad did not have a long-term relationship with his father, since his dad had died in a boating accident when he was four years old. "Dad always tried to be a good father; that's tough for a minister, with so many demands on his time," shares Ken.

Amidst the busy committed life of a pastor, Dr. Wales Smith wanted his son Ken to have the mentoring which he had missed because of the absence of his own father. So he selflessly and wisely encouraged Ken to develop many interests in life through positive relationships with men. Many of these men were in their church.

Ken recounts, "Dad talked with many men in the congregation. He asked a carpenter in church to teach me, and a hiker to help me enjoy hiking. Hillis Brown, a deacon who taught radio and television at Santa Monica Technical College, helped me become an active amateur ham radio operator, W6NWJ."

"One night we went to the Brown's home for dinner. Hillis said, ‘Come, I'll show you my hobby!' There on his desk was a Hallicrafter Radio Receiver SX42 with a big green dial and a transmitter right next to it. He had built it. I got to turn the dials! He loaned me technical equipment that he wasn't using. I listened to all the ham conversations."

Ken began early to develop an interest in broadcasting as well as ham radio. He says Hillis was a visionary. "He modified an old transmitter that we used as a remote link from the church. I always got to engineer the Sunday service. We had three microphones and I ‘mixed' them for the best audio."

John Robert Wooden, a retired American basketball coach, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (class of 1961) and a coach (class of 1973), was the first person ever enshrined in both categories. He is widely regarded as the greatest college coach in history and his 10 NCAA National Championships while at UCLA are unmatched.

John Wooden and Ken's father grew up in Indiana, one house apart. "They had developed a good bond. In the summer of 1948, there was a knock at our door," recalls Ken. "Dad greeted his old friend John, who had just accepted a position as coach at UCLA. John joined my dad's church, where he served as a deacon for 45 years. He became another mentor to me. He taught me much about life from his well-known lessons and ‘pyramid of success' philosophy."

Ken shares, "Dad was really generous and kind. He was totally supportive and appreciative to those men who would teach me in their areas of expertise. On a minister's salary, money was scarce. Mom wasn't teaching."

An electronic spark

Ken's high school principal, Dr. Ewing Konold, was a member of Ken's dad's church. Ken dated his daughter Carole. "She was my first girlfriend when I was 14; we grew up together."

Ken Wales

One day Dr. Konold came to pick up his daughter. He came in, saw Ken's ham equipment and asked what it was. "I showed him, and he loved it."

Ken got a receiver from Henry Radio for Dr. Konold. Ken gave him some instruction, and he got his novice license. Later, he went to take a test at the courthouse. Carole was studying for the ham test at same time as her dad. She passed the test and got her license as well.

"She did it all as a big surprise, for fun, just for me," Ken shares. "The principal became an avid fan. Of course, he was very supportive of the ham club at school."

The Last Supper

Ken recalls a time when was working but also doing a little drama and a little theater work. "I was always in church drama." They instituted an annual Maundy Thursday service. In Santa Monica, they did a re-creation of the Last Supper with Christ in the upper room. The entire congregation took communion with the actors, who were men in the church.

"Kester Sweeney, the head of makeup for MGM, did authentic beards for the characters for Maundy Thursday. I knew people in the costume department at studios. My idea was to make each disciple distinctive," Ken states. His father wrote the script from the book of John; it was very close to Scripture. They performed it twice in the evenings. Ken did all the lighting, and the choir sang Stainer's "God So Loved the World" as the prelude.

"We created this telling of the Lord's Supper for 16 years," Ken says. "People came from all over to see it. I started out playing the role of Peter. Then, after two years, there was no one to play Christ. I portrayed Christ, and it was a life-changing experience. The robe I wore was from the motion picture, ‘Ben Hur.' It was Italian homespun and weighed almost 40 pounds. The robe had blood on it from one particular scene in the picture."

I portrayed Christ, and it was a life-changing experience.

Describing the Lord's Supper drama they performed for years, Ken explains, "A scene in our script showed Jesus with his disciples at the Feast of the Passover. There was a pause in our dramatic presentation as the entire congregation received communion. Then, we went back into the drama. The cup was passed around, and it ended with Judas. He put down the cup hard. A young skeptical attorney played Judas. When he put down that cup, you could feel the conscience of the world right on the table. He had a big bag of coins."

The script continued with the Scripture from John 13:27: "As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him, ‘What you are about to do, do quickly,' Jesus told him." Ken says, "Then, Judas (the lawyer) and Jesus (me) gazed intensely into each other's eyes, recognizing the profound effect of their committed decisions. There was complete silence." After the actors said the lines from John 13:31 ("Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him."), the congregation then received the communion cup.

Ken Wales at MasterWorks Festival, Winona Lake, Indiana, Summer 2007.

Each year, Ken did publicity, always trying to find new ways to make the drama known. One year, the "Los Angeles Times" took photos. The actors and Ken went a few blocks to a photographer's studio. "We shot incredible photos, in full makeup and costumes, from 10:00 p.m. to dawn. I used those photos the following year for the ‘Los Angeles Times,'" says Ken.

He remembers that "the key was being able to say to the editor, ‘This belongs on the front page of your Palm Sunday edition.' I brought out large black and white pictures, with the disciples around the table. I heard the editor catch his breath. He said, ‘Ken, this belongs on the front page of ‘Los Angeles Times.' I was able to suggest to the editor, ‘Here's your art for Palm Sunday. You don't have to go shoot a stained-glass window.' The key was always to ask, ‘what can I do for you?'"

But each year, he had to top it. He took individual portraits of the disciples and wrote a biography on each one. He says it was tough to do; he got some material from the Bible and some information from books. "I had to write, ‘We think that ...' ‘Legend says ...' or ‘Historians felt ...'. I wrote the script from the Gospels, mostly from John, but qualified it when not writing directly from the Gospels."

The Last Supper became a Santa Monica community tradition. Ken recalls, "When I'd say, ‘This is the last year,' people would say, ‘No, no!'" Sunday school classes came from 300 miles away to watch the performance.

He says, "That set the tones for the films I do now: always do it with excellence. My philosophy was if you're going to do it, do it well."

Jehovah-Jireh

One day, when Ken was a senior, Dr. Konold got a phone call from Walt Disney, who asked the principal, "I want to hear more about what the teenagers are thinking. Is there someone who would come and spend a week with me, who would be interested in learning how we make films?" Dr. Konold said, "I know just the boy for you! I've got the guy."

"I was the guy," says Ken. He smiles and adds, "Sure enough, I was selected. My dad took me to see Walt Disney every day. We went from the ocean at 6:00 a.m. to Burbank so I could be there at 7:00 a.m."

Ken remembers that "the first few days were like heaven." He met with writers, animators and musicians, and enjoyed learning. "Walt asked me, ‘What do you think about this? Do you think this is corny?' Walt Disney was really interested in what I thought! I tried to be helpful."

Then Disney told Ken they were going to do something unusual - take a limo to Disneyland. It was still under construction and had been open only three months.

What we do with life’s dangers and jeopardy is important.

"Walt said to me, ‘What do you think of this?' and ‘Can you fine tune this?' I told him my opinion. I got to ask him - Walt Disney - questions! We had great interaction."

On his last day at the Disney studio, Ken thanked Walt for how much he had learned while there and also for Walt being "a great inspiration."

He remembers an important piece of advice that Walt Disney gave him, "There are two things forgotten by other filmmakers. They forget that you always have to have two things in a film - danger and jeopardy. The other people make it too easy, too sweet. Life isn't easy. You have to remember that the hunter killed Bambi's mother. Bambi had to run through a forest fire. The story is what Bambi does with that. It is important!"

Ken says, "I can remember him saying that. Walt Disney also told me, ‘I think, Ken, you have a chance to be a good film maker and a producer ... and I want to help you.'"

In the providence of God, Walt Disney pulled out his personal checkbook and handed Ken a check. He said, "Ken, this is $5,000.00 ... a thousand dollars a year for five years, for your tuition to USC Cinema School."

The Lord provides. This Scripture came true for me.

In Hebrew, Jehovah-jireh means: the Lord provides. Philippians 4:19 says "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Ken says, "The Scripture in became true for me. I was stunned! Our family couldn't have afforded that. It was all in God's providence."

The individual

Ken's life has mirrored the Word of God that his father faithfully preached. His life is filled with God's blessings including a brilliant beautiful wife, author/artist/editor Susan Wales, and a delightful granddaughter Hailey.

Ken reveals himself to be a man of wisdom and varied experience. He is deeply committed to his faith and family. He also enjoys training and encouraging others. Ken shares that the secret of his success is "being a servant."

The power and truth in God's Word has formed this man of faith and principles. Ken says his life Scripture verses are the passages on the "Sermon on the Mount" and the "Beatitudes" in Matthew 5-6.

Ken relaxes as he enjoys the art and beautiful music of the skillful virtuosos of past centuries. "I have always loved music. I love classical music today. If there were one thing in my life I couldn't live without, it would be classical music. I could not live without a classical FM station today. I think this is from my being a French horn player in symphonies for many years."

Motivating others

Ken Wales at MasterWorks Festival, Winona Lake, Indiana, Summer 2007.

Ken Wales teaches today at colleges and seminars, sharing his passion with future generations.

"I really feel that God has blessed my life. Therefore, I often go to many secular and Christian colleges and teach and mentor kids who wouldn't have had the advantage of learning from professionals in our field."

He goes to Biola University in Los Angeles, California; to his alma mater, University of Southern California, where he teaches and advises students in filmmaking; and to Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, which he says has a wonderful film department. He also works with the worldwide Olympics, where Asbury students volunteer.

"Visiting Christian schools and teaching is an easy way to return to God what he has given to me," Ken explains.

Ken's professionalism in media communication includes teaching Christian values. An example is his work as executive producer of the Emmy-nominated CBS television series "Christy." The series has changed lives through presenting positive values for 19 years. Today, the series is available in DVD, still portraying moral and biblical principles to change lives in society for God's glory.

Ken Wales sets an example for us to follow. As he did, each of us can determine our gift, develop it to the best of our ability, and use it in excellence to serve God and man.

Ken humbly shares, "It would be a privilege to hear, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant' (Matthew 25:23). I want to serve God in that way."