I was just thinking a couple of days ago how lucky Woody Allen has been to have had the assistance of Juliet Taylor for the past 4 decades. Allen pays Taylor due respect by usually giving her first screen credit right after the names of the brilliant ensembles she helps him assemble.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the creation of the Casting Directors Branch. Casting directors began to be invited to Academy membership more than 30 years ago, many of them admitted as Members-at-Large.
The decision was approved at the regularly scheduled board meeting on Tuesday, July 30.
“Casting directors play an essential role in the filmmaking process,” Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said. “Their inclusion on our board will only broaden our perspective and help ensure that the Academy continues to accurately reflect the state of filmmaking today.”
The Casting Directors Branch brings the Academy to 17 branches, with three members representing each branch on the Board of Governors. The Academy will hold special elections this fall to select the three governors of the newest branch.
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When I see these names in the opening credits, I know the actors I’m about to see will feel like they were born to play their roles. Most of the following 10 casting directors are the standouts that many major directors trust to cast film after film. Help me name some others.
Juliet Taylor
Larry Mayfeild
Marci Liroff
Lynn Stalmaster
Avy Kaufman
Mary Selway
Ellen Lewis
Ellen Chenoweth
Mary Vernieu
John Papsidera