Meet Marion Dougherty (February 3, 2011 --December 4, 2011): Unsung heroine whose moxxie and sharp intuition helped forge a legendary 40 plus years-long career in casting for film and television.
This keen taker of risks worked relentlessly behind the scenes and gave many working actors whom we recognize today their first jobs (Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Duvall, Christopher Walken, to name a few). In her casting office, which she fashioned out of a brownstone, her assistants developed their own instincts and would become the next generation of women in casting.
From her interview in the Miami Herald: "No casting director can truly say, 'I knew he was gonna be a star'--because that's a bunch of baloney. Casting is a game of gut instinct. You feel their talent and potential in the pit of your stomach. It's about guts and luck."
