Amanda Mackey, the casting director whose 40-year career counted credits like “A League of Their Own,” “The Proposal” and “The Fugitive,” has died. She was 70.
According to multiple media reports, Mackey died in her sleep on Saturday from a type of blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome at NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn.
The 15-time Artios Award winner, bestowed by the Casting Society of America for casting excellence, earned her first credits as a casting assistant in the early ’80s on films such as “The World According to Garp” and worked her way through the ranks of associate and consultant.
In 1985, she served as casting director for the first time on “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins” and “Rocky IV.”
Mackey would go on to assemble the players for celebrated films such as “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” “Gladiator,” “Of Mice and Men,” “While You Were Sleeping,” “Practical Magic,” “Inspector Gadget,” “We Were Soldiers,” “Holes,” “27 Dresses” and “Bad Moms.” Her TV work included “Memphis Beat,” “Hell On Wheels,” “Claws” and “A Million Little Things.” Additionally, Mackey served as an executive producer on four projects. She was set to earn her first producing credit for the forthcoming film “Famous.”
Among others, she was recognized for “A League of Their Own” in 1993 and “Smokin’ Aces” in 2006. Mackey shared an Emmy nomination with Cathy Sandrich Gelfond, with whom she led Mackey/Sandrich Casting, for their work on “The Normal Heart.”
“Amanda was a singular force — fiercely intelligent, impeccably stylish, wildly passionate about ideas, the state of the world and her work,” Sandrich Gelfond told Deadline. “She loved her daughters profoundly and was an unwaveringly steadfast friend and champion in a time when women weren’t as supportive to other women as they are now. She believed in me, lifted me up and gave me a career. She was the sister I never had and changed my life in countless ways. The world’s light is significantly dimmer without her in it.”
“We are heartbroken to hear about the passing of Casting Director, Amanda Mackey,” the Casting Society of America said in a statement. “She was an inspiration to many in our field and everyone at CSA sends our condolences to her family and friends.”
Before her passing, Mackey completed work on “About My Father,” starring Robert De Niro, Kim Cattrall and Leslie Bibb, and “Starbright” for director Francesco Lucente.
