Andrea Eastman, the casting director who helped shape the cast of The Godfather and later became a prominent Hollywood talent agent, has died at 86.
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Eastman died in her sleep on August 26 at her home in Santa Barbara, according to her family spokesperson. The Hollywood Reporter first reported her death.
Eastman made her mark in Hollywood during the New Hollywood era of the late 1960s and early 1970s. She worked as a casting executive at Paramount Pictures and helped bring emerging talent to major productions.
Andrea Eastman Was The Godmother Of ‘The Godfather’
Her work on The Godfather became one of her most notable achievements. Eastman worked with producer Fred Roos and director Francis Ford Coppola during the casting process for the 1972 crime drama. She helped cast James Caan as Sonny Corleone and Al Pacino as Michael Corleone.
Pacino’s casting became particularly significant because Paramount executives initially opposed his selection for Michael. Coppola ultimately secured Pacino for the role, and the actor’s performance became one of the defining elements of the film.
Eastman also helped discover Ali MacGraw when the actress worked as a model. She cast MacGraw in Goodbye, Columbus, the 1969 romantic comedy that helped launch MacGraw’s film career.
After her work in casting, Eastman moved into talent representation. She joined the agency business and eventually became a senior vice president at International Creative Management, better known as ICM.
Her promotion made her one of Hollywood’s pioneering female agents. She represented major performers including Barbra Streisand, Burt Reynolds, Jaclyn Smith, Peter Boyle, Chevy Chase, Henry Winkler, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Reeve, Katharine Ross, Christopher Plummer, James Brolin, and Dustin Hoffman.
Eastman also worked at Creative Management Associates and International Famous Agency during her career in talent representation. She retired from the agency business in 2010.
Her death marks the loss of a Hollywood industry figure whose career helped connect major performers with some of American cinema’s most enduring productions.
Eastman is survived by her former husband, Paul N. Lazarus III, her stepson, Robert Lazarus, and his wife, Annie.