Hollywood remembers legendary casting director Mike Fenton

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The colleagues of legendary casting director Mike Fenton remembered the industry veteran as a tireless champion of actors who had a keen sense of talent, a great sense of humor, and a busy life outside of the theater. work with a large circle of friends.

Fenton, who died on December 30 at the age of 85, had nearly 300 casting credits to his name and helped launch the careers of stars such as Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Drew Barrymore and Robert Downey Jr. He won the Casting Society of America’s Artios Award in 1996 for Best Casting for the Nightly TV Special for “Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree ”and again in 2000 Best Cast for a TV Miniseries for“ Arabian Nights ”

Graham Yost, screenwriter and showrunner known for FX’s “Broken Arrow,” “Speed” and “Justified”, befriended Fenton through a racing club dubbed Flying Squirrels that the casting pro founded in the 1980s. Yost met his wife, Connie, through the group.

“He was just the cutest, really funny guy,” Yost said. The flying squirrels would gather every Saturday in Santa Monica, and it was Fenton keeping an eye on the group of runners as they ran through the narrow streets. “He was screaming, ‘Car!’ Even though it was a mile away,” Yost recalls.

Over the years, the current group has faded but its members have remained in touch. Years later, a few members started playing poker every Sunday, and even thanks to the COVID lockdown, the group would come together on Zoom to play. Yost noted that Fenton was in a nursing home and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a few years ago, but “that was one way of looking at Mike.

The last time Yost saw Fenton was at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences 2016, a tribute to three legends of the cast: Fenton, Lynn Stalmaster and Juliet Taylor. “It was really great to see this tribute to Mike and all the people they found,” Yost said.

One of Fenton’s most notable finds, “ET” star Henry Thomas, was also present that evening. “(Thomas) had this amazing hearing (for ‘ET’), and the highlight was he got that job,” Yost said.

As seen in the clip posted below, Fenton can be heard working offscreen with Thomas during his audition for what would become the 1982 blockbuster directed by Spielberg. At the end of the reading, Fenton tells Thomas he got the job. “Henry was just amazing, and he (Fenton) told great stories. He would do anything for you, ”Yost said.

Yost said part of Fenton’s competence came from his always having unconventional ideas about matching actors and roles. Yost cited the decision to play Sally Field in “Sybil,” the landmark 1976 TV movie about a woman grappling with multiple personalities, as an example of a Fenton inspiration that turned an actor into a star. Fenton “changed her life because no one thought of her for it. He was the champion of this idea. He changed his life from “The Flying Nun” to (future) Oscar winner. “

Actress Frances Fisher also cited Fenton’s role in elevating the role of the casting director.

“He unionized the casting directors by founding @CSAcasting,” Fisher wrote of Fenton’s work as co-founder of the Casting Society of America in 1982.

“Doctor Who” casting director Andy Pryor recalled Fenton on Twitter. “RIP Mike Fenton, casting director of so many of our favorites. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “ET”, the movies “Indiana Jones”, “The Goonies”, “Back to the Future” and many more. Thank you for all this joy.

Amblin Entertainment tweeted a poignant tribute from director Steven Spielberg. “Mike Fenton, who was hands down one of the best casting agents in our industry for decades and essential to key Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment films, has passed away at the age of 85.

“Gremlins” director Joe Dante sharing, “RIP Mike Fenton, one of the best casting directors in the business! I worked with him on “Twilight Zone”, “Innerspace”, “The Burbs” and the best movie I ever made, “The Second Civil War”, with 90 talking parts. I have never met anyone who loved their job more.

Producer Jane Kelly Kosek shared on Facebook: “So sad to hear that Mike Fenton, one of our casting directors from our movie ‘Not Since You’, passed away today. He helped us put together such a wonderful cast for “Not Since You”. He also released “ET”, “The Goonies” and “Back to the Future!” He was also a nice man. TEAR”

“Criminal Minds” casting director Lisa Zambetti called Fenton’s death “such a loss.”

On Instagram, casting director Jennifer Ajemian, whose credits include Amazon Prime’s “North of Boston”, wrote that Fenton’s passing was “very sad news for the casting community. We so admire Mike’s hard work and contribution to the casting profession.

While he was producer of ‘Iron Will’ and chairman of Seismic Pictures, Robert Schwartz wrote: ‘The end of 2020 saw the passing of the extraordinary casting director, Mike Fenton, one of my favorite characters in Hollywood. We worked together on several movies and he was simply the best and such a lovely, kind and generous person. RIP Mike. “

“Blazing Saddles” writer Andrew Bergman remembered Fenton via his Twitter page. “A lovely guy. Casting assistance for “The Freshman” and “Honeymoon in Vegas”. Good taste and open to surprises.

Actor, writer and producer Ryan Paul James wrote about attending a casting workshop hosted by Fenton. “I took over Mike Fenton’s casting director’s workshop in Orlando, Florida in 1996. We were just a handful of actors and we went to Boston Market for lunch. He had the best casting stories, ”James wrote.

“I remember him telling me at that lunch that there was a chance I would never come into his office for an audition because there are so many actors in Los Angeles. Fast forward 8 years later, my freshman in Los Angeles and guess who I auditioned for. When I reminded him of this story, he laughed and called me several times for auditions. RIP Mike. “

“Avatar” actor Woody Schultz also recalled taking classes with Fenton.

Producer David Latt also had a looping moment when he hired Fenton to launch what would become one of Fenton’s final projects, the cheeky 2014 TV movie “Sharknado 2: The Second One”. “In the 1980s, I did an internship with Mike Fenton and @marciliroff. It was a dream job back then and a dream come true when I hired Mike 30 years later to play #Sharknado 2. #RIP. You only taught me the right things.

Watch Thomas’ audition below and listen to Fenton coaching the actor:



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