Andrea Eastman, a pioneering Hollywood agent and casting director who played a crucial role in shaping classic cinema, passed away Wednesday at her Santa Barbara residence. She was 86 years old. Eastman carved out a distinguished career in an industry historically controlled by men, eventually becoming one of the first female superagents in Hollywood and reaching the position of senior vice president at International Creative Management.
Early in her career, Eastman worked in casting and became instrumental in bringing some of the most significant films of the “New Hollywood” era to life. Most notably, she collaborated with director Francis Ford Coppola to cast Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in “The Godfather,” overcoming studio resistance to the then-unknown actor. She also secured James Caan for the role of Sonny and worked on casting “Love Story” and “Goodbye Columbus,” discovering actor Tommy Lee Jones in the process. Her work on “The Godfather” is now preserved in the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures archives.
Throughout her decades-long career, Eastman represented and managed numerous major Hollywood figures including Sylvester Stallone, Billy Crystal, Richard Gere, Barbra Streisand, and Christopher Reeve. In her later years, she shifted focus to animal welfare advocacy, establishing a sanctuary for rescued horses and dogs. She partnered with Robert Redford on California’s Proposition 6, which made the state the first to ban horse slaughter for human consumption.
Originally reported by Variety →
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