Martha Luttrell, a talent agent who worked for ICM and represented stars such as Susan Sarandon and the late Sam Shepard and Waylon Jennings, died Monday at the age of 80.
Luttrell died in Calabasas, California, after battling pancreatic cancer, said her friend Holly Goldberg Sloan. Variety Tuesday.
Luttrell had helped guide the careers of several notable creatives, most notably that of Sarandon, the 78-year-old Oscar winner who had yet to release a statement on her social media Tuesday night when news of her death spread. former agent
Among the people Luttrell represented were actors such as Stephen Rea, Judy Davis, Dereck Joubert and Beverly Joubert, and musician Don Was.
Luttrell also represented filmmakers Julie Taymor, Paul Weiland, Martin Campbell, Mick Jackson, Tony Bill and Jon Amiel, according to the outlet.
Luttrell got his start in show business working as a receptionist for Capitol Records, Variety reported.
Martha Luttrell, a talent agent who worked for ICM and represented stars such as Susan Sarandon and the late Sam Shepard and Waylon Jennings, died Monday at the age of 80. Photographed in Aspen in 2008.
Luttrell was born on October 31, 1944 in Vancouver, Canada, and began his career in entertainment “right out of high school.” Deadline reported on Tuesday.
He worked for famed filmmaker Mike Nichols in New York City on the 1973 film Day of the Dolphin and later moved to Los Angeles, according to Variety.
Luttrell worked as an assistant to the late talent agent Bill Robinson at his company, The Robinson Agency, where she honed her business skills and eventually landed a partnership position.
His company, later known as Robinson/Luttrell and Associates, was sold to ICM in 1983, and Luttrell would continue to work there as an agent for a span of 25 years.
Berg retired in 2008 and moved to Aspen, Colorado, Deadline reported.
Jeff Berg, who was president and CEO of ICM at the time, said in a statement: “We have tremendous respect for Martha and what she has accomplished for the agency and its clients. After working with her for so many years, she will be missed. a lot”.
Berg praised Luttrell as a pioneer for women in the entertainment industry’s management sector.
“At the time she started her career, there were few women in management positions working at talent agencies,” Berg told Variety on Tuesday. “Martha made a real difference in promoting opportunities for women, which is quite a legacy.”
Luttrell died in Calabasas, California, after battling pancreatic cancer, according to her friend Holly Goldberg Sloan. Photographed in Los Angeles in 2000.
Among the people Luttrell represented were creatives like Julie Taymor, with whom she was photographed in Aspen in 2008.
Luttrell was a passionate advocate for her clients, a keen evaluator of material and tenacious when it came to negotiating deals, Goldberg Sloan told Deadline, adding that the late agent threw lavish parties on Halloween, which was also her birthday.
Luttrell was also involved with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as a member and president of the Academy Agents Group, according to Variety.
He had also been a member of the advisory board of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, according to Deadline.
Luttrell is survived by his nephew Peter Luttrell and his wife, Dr. Stephanie White, and their two children; his nieces Heather and Wendy, and his goddaughter Francesca.
In his memory, donations may be made to the Aspen Community Foundation. A celebration of his life is scheduled to be announced in the future, according to multiple reports.