Keeping Score
Who says the William Morris agency has lost its spunk?
Shortly after a recent Calendar article about defections from the agency’s movie division, William Morris insiders retaliated by compiling lists of their competitors’ lost clients (some of whom went to Morris). Here’s what those intrepid William Morris agents dug up.
ICM: Defectors in the past year or so have included Christopher Lambert, Treat Williams, Rob Lowe, Ken Russell, Molly Ringwald, Paul Schrader, Kelly McGillis, Michael Diner, Mark Harmon, Jennifer Grey, Eddie Murphy (TV only).
CAA: Bailouts include Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Christopher Walken, John Milius, Tom Mankiewicz, Rebecca DeMornay, Cary Elwes, Timothy Hutton, Paul Bogart, Nicolas Cage, Lea Thompson, William Friedkin, Christopher Cain.
(Which got us to wondering, did William Morris also send copies of these lists to ICM chairman Jeffrey Berg and CAA president Michael Ovitz?)
As for William Morris clients signed during the past year: Christopher Walken, Christopher Lambert, Peter Strauss, Rebecca DeMornay, Treat Williams, Theresa Russell, Dean Stockwell, William Friedkin, Ken Russell, Scott Glenn, Tony Richardson, Roseanne Barr, Christopher Cain, Eddie Murphy (TV only--ICM represents him for films), Steve Shagan, Walon Green.
Also included: Names of William Morris clients who have recently “emerged” (become names in the industry).
When we ran the list of names by our sources on agency warfare, an ICM insider took a shot at William Morris--pointing out that the agency just lost Cheryl Ladd to ICM. This, after writers Donald Stewart (an Oscar winner for “Missing”) and Leon Capetanos (“Down and Out in Beverly Hills”) also left William Morris for ICM.
