Casting director Gary Shaffer dies

Manager cast 10,000 hours of TV, film

By VARIETY STAFF

Shaffer

Casting director and talent manager Gary Shaffer died of cancer Dec. 3 in Los Angeles. He was 72.

A memorial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 at the Westchester Elks Lodge, 8025 W. Manchester Ave., Playa Del Rey.

Shaffer cast more than 10,000 hours of TV and features, including series such as "Dynasty," "Vegas," "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," "Medical Center," "Trapper John," "Chips," "Matt Houston" and "Love Boat" specials.

After retiring from the casting business in 1994, he created Upstart Management, where he worked with emerging actors including Linda Cardellini, whom he discovered in a college play.

Born in Hollywood, Shaffer was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He was elected as a board member of the Casting Society of America and appointed as a trustee of the Television Academy, representing the casting community.

He is survived by a sister and a brother.