Joyce Selznick

Joyce Selznick (February 12, 1925 – September 17, 1981) was a talent agent, manager, casting director, and screen writer for actors and musicians. She was the niece to famous film producer David O. Selznick (Gone with the Wind, 1939), which provided her with early exposure to the industry. Her career of about three decades began with the discovery of Tony Curtis in the late 1940s; after notably casting The Buddy Holly Story, released in 1978, her work ended with her premature death in 1981 at age 53 from breast cancer.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Joyce Selznick was raised in the Hollywood culture due to her uncle's legendary status as a film producer. During her lifetime, she became a prominent and well-known figure among actors.

In the late 1940s, she discovered New York truck driver Bernie Schwartz, who became the well-known actor Tony Curtis.

She discovered James Darren around 1955, when he was about 19, recognizing his talent when he contacted her based on the recommendation of a photographer's secretary, Yvonne Bouvier, in 1959. Darren recalls:

I was studying acting in New York City with Stella Adler. I'd been studying with her for a couple of years.... [Yvonne Bouvier] set up a meeting between me and Joyce Selznick, who worked for Screen Gems. I went down to 1650 Broadway, the Brill Building. On my way to [the] meeting with Joyce, we just happened to get on the elevator at the same time. She kept staring at me. I never met her. She never met me. We got off at the same floor and walked to the same office. That was our meeting. Joyce brought me over to Columbia Pictures about a week later and got me a contract there.

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