Jackie Burch, a prolific Hollywood casting director who put together memorable ensembles for multiple motion pictures – most notably the 1985 John Hughes drama The Breakfast Club – has died at the age of 74.
Burch passed away in Atlanta on Sunday following a battle with endometrial cancer, her friend Gail Goldberg said in a statement obtained by Deadline.
Burch’s family told the outlet in a statement they were ‘heartbroken and in shock at the prospect of living without our vibrant, charming, funny, special and incredibly loving mom.
‘Her generous spirit touched so many lives – professionally and personally – and we are endlessly proud of the legacy she leaves behind.’
The Newburgh, New York-born film, industry, professional made a mark early on in her career.
She cast prominent early 80s motion pictures including 1983’s DC Cab; Psycho II; and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3.
Jackie Burch, a prolific Hollywood casting director, has died at the age of 74. Pictured in LA in 2017
Burch’s talents in matching personalities to roles shined bright in the mid-1980s as she collaborated with iconic late director John Hughes on the number of the teen coming-of-age films he minted his legend with.
They included 1984’s 16 Candles and 1985’s Weird Science; and The Breakfast Club, the latter of which showcased Brat Pack actors Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall and Ally Sheedy.
Other notable motion pictures Burch presided over the casting over in the 1980s included the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy Coming to America; the 1989 John Ritter comedy Skin Deep; and the 1989 Patrick Swayze drama Road House.
Burch also racked up credits in the action genre, casting the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger films The Running Man; and Predator; and the 1988 Bruce Willis smash hit Die Hard along with its 1990 sequel.
She also worked on three films with Sylvester Stallone: 1992’s Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot; 1994’s The Specialist; and 1995’s Judge Dredd.
In recent years, she had been involved with ‘local, location or additional casting work’ on box office smashes such as 2011’s The Hunger Games and its sequels, as well as The Fast and the Furious, Iron Man 3 and Ant-Man, Deadline reported.
Among the notable filmmakers Burch had collaborated with over her decades in Tinseltown included the late Peter Bogdanovich on 1985’s Mask; Warren Beatty’s 1990’s Dick Tracy and John Landis on Coming to America and 1986’s Three Amigos.
Colleagues and cinema fans had warm sentiments for Burch as news of her passing spread
Burch cast 1985’s The Breakfast Club, starring Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez and Molly Ringwald
A number of colleagues and cinema fans had warm sentiments for Burch as news of her passing spread.
Actor Timothy Stack remembered Burch on X as ‘a really nice, talented person who never stopped liking actors,’ adding, RIP.
One user said, ‘How sad. She cast a lot of phenomenal movies. Thank you and rest easy, while another commented, ‘Thank you Jackie Burch and RIP…..’
Burch is survived by daughters Samy Burch, an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter; singer-songwriter Molly Burch who runs a nonprofit; sons-in-law Alex Mechanik and Dailey Toliver; and twin sister, Janice Papolos.
Burch’s family is organizing a memorial in the greater Los Angeles area with a date to be announced later.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The National Association of the Deaf in Burch’s name.
