Al Trescony

By EILEEN KOWALSKI

Al Trescony, one of the last casting directors from cinema's "golden age," died June 6 at his West Los Angeles home. He was 84.

Trescony spent three decades at MGM, advancing to head of casting for movies and television, where he helped further the careers of such stars as Debbie Reynolds, Richard Chamberlain, Charles Bronson and Janet Leigh. He left in the early 1970s to become VP of talent at NBC.

A San Francisco native, Trescony studied law at St. Mary's College, where he was active in school plays. He later joined the San Mateo Little Theater. Setting his sights on Hollywood, Trescony worked as a messenger at MGM until he was promoted to assist Benny Thau, the studio's talent exec. Trescony's career, which including some acting, went on hiatus while in the military during WWII.

He returned to MGM as a talent scout and went on to head the studio's casting operations for 12 years.

Trescony is survived by his wife, Angie; six children; seven grandchildren; and a sister.