Sandy Bresler, who served as actor Jack Nicholson's agent for six decades, has died at age 87.
The industry veteran died Thursday in Santa Monica after a short illness, his family said in a statement, adding that he had “set the gold standard for hand-picked talent representation.”
“Sandy was a unique person, generous with his time and his knowledge,” John Kelly, Bresler’s partner at Bresler Kelly and Associates, told The Times on Friday. “And always a lot of fun!” The two co-founded the agency in 1983.
Bresler was born on Jan. 20, 1937. He met Nicholson when the two were bunking in the California Air National Guard. The son of “Casino Royale” producer Jerry Bresler, he was “another second-generation Hollywood kid,” wrote Patrick McGilligan in “Jack's Life: A Biography of Jack Nicholson.”
“Like Nicholson, Bresler was an inveterate cinephile, raised on a steady diet of movies,” the biographer wrote. “He had contacts to take 16mm prints from studio libraries and show them in Jack’s living room. That was part of their friendship.”
That friendship became a professional partnership when Bresler began representing the three-time Academy Award winner in 1961, a year after he began his career as a secretary at the William Morris Agency.
“For more than a decade, Nicholson suffered from unaggressive and unimaginative representation,” McGilligan wrote. “The agent problem would eventually be solved, at the time of 'Easy rider,' in the person of Sandy Bresler.”
“There is only one agent who has stuck with me, guided me, tolerated my tantrums, my operatic behavior, etc.,” Nicholson said while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in 1999.
“I don’t remember his name,” he joked, and continued: “Sandy Bresler, my friend and comrade in arms!”
After leaving the William Morris Agency, Bresler worked at ICM, eventually leaving to found Bresler, Wolff, Cota & Livingston, later known as the Artists Agency. Deadline reported. He was a life member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He also served on the board of directors of the Association of Talent Agents for nearly three decades and was president of the ATA for more than a decade.
“During Sandy’s remarkable tenure, as a friend and leader, he demonstrated unparalleled dedication and visionary leadership, guiding the association through a period of significant growth and transformation,” ATA CEO Karen Stuart said Thursday in a statement. statement.
“Under her leadership, ATA expanded its reach and influence. Sandy’s unwavering commitment to the talent agency profession was instrumental in advancing the interests of our members and elevating the industry as a whole,” Stuart continued. “Sandy was a mentor to many and leaves a lasting impact that will be felt for years to come.”
Bresler is survived by his wife of 58 years, Nancy; his son Eric; his daughter Jennifer Galperson; and his twin grandsons, Brandon and Jonah.
