Bill Treusch dies: The longtime New York talent manager who oversaw the careers of Sissy Spacek, Christopher Walken, Melissa Leo and many others turned 80

Bill Treusch, a longtime New York talent manager who once served as Montgomery Clift’s personal assistant and helped shape the careers of Sissy Spacek, Christopher Walken, Tom Hulce, Diane Keaton, Eric Roberts, Tom Berenger and countless others, is died Tuesday in New York City after a long illness. He was 80.

After his stint as Clift’s personal assistant, Treusch became a theatrical talent agent with Dudley Field Malone. He joined Marion Dougherty’s casting agency where he worked with casting agents Juliet Taylor, Wallis Nicita and Gretchen Rennell.

Although Dougherty felt that Treusch was not the right person to cast, she recognized his eye for talent. Treusch, who settled in the basement of Dougherty, prospered and eventually started his own one-man business, which grew into Bill Treusch Management, a leading management firm.

Treusch has worked with film, television and stage artists over a career spanning more than five decades and has been instrumental in discovering and guiding the careers of Spacek, Walken, Hulce, Keaton, Roberts, Berenger, Richard Jenkins, Melissa Leo , Peter Weller and Viggo Mortenson, Carol Kane and Sandy Dennis, Regina Baff, Graham Beckel, Brad Beyer, Matthew Bomer, Kevin Conway, Tim Guinee, Shawn Hatosy, June Havoc, John Heard, Matthew Lillard, Rudolf Martin, Melanie Mayron, Holt McCallany, Stephen McHattie, Oliver Platt, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Luke Reilly, Antonia Rey, Kathryn Walker and others.

Treusch “has built a reputation for impeccable taste,” said Mary Erickson of Mary Erickson Management. “His influence on the acting community is immeasurable.” Treusch had a particularly large impact on the New York film and theater scene of the 1970s and 1980s.

Treusch was also known as a mentor to young casting directors, agents, managers and writers and directors, including Joe Mantello and Peter Hedges.

He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law Maureen and John Cunningham; Cousins ​​Tara, Colin and Meghan Cunningham and Ken Treusch, talent manager and partner, Bleecker Street Entertainment and Shannon Treusch, partner, Falco Ink.; and other extended family. Donations can be made on Treusch’s behalf to The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund).