Duncan Heath (born 1947) is a British

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...

and the co-chairman of the Independent Talent Group, Europe's largest talent agency, based in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. His clients include many leading figures in the British film industry, including

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

Maggie Smith Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (born 28 December 1934) is an English actress. With an extensive career on screen and stage beginning in the mid-1950s, Smith has appeared in more than sixty films and seventy plays. She is one of the few performer ...

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honour ...

and Mike Newell.Duncan Heath at www.bifa.org
Retrieved 16 February 2010Official website of Independent Talent Group Ltd
Retrieved 16 February 2010

Early life

Heath was born in 1947, the son of Sir

Barrie Heath Sir Barrie Heath, (11 September 1916 – 22 February 1988) was a Royal Air Force Spitfire pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom), Distinguished Flying Cross. Heath shot down fo ...

(1916–1988), a decorated former

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

pilot and later chairman of the engineering giant

GKN GKN Ltd is a British multinational automotive and aerospace components business headquartered in Redditch, England. It is a long-running business known for many decades as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds. It can trace its origins back to 1759 an ...

. Their relationship was not always cordial and Heath later recalled that his father disapproved of him entering the entertainment industry, adding that he "wanted me to go work in some dark Satanic mill somewhere".

Career

Contrary to his father's wishes, he began his career in

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

, and then in 1971 joined the

William Morris Agency The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent a ...

as a runner, beginning at the very bottom of the industry. After less than a year he had been fired for behaviour he later described as "insolence and mild violence". In a later interview with Industrial Scripts Heath elaborated on his dismissal from the William Morris Agency, saying:

Duncan Heath Associates

In 1973 he and his wife-to-be

Hilary Dwyer Hilary Dwyer (6 May 1945 – 30 March 2020), also known as Hilary Heath, was an English actress, businessperson, and film producer. She was best known for her acting roles in films such as '' Witchfinder General'' (1968) and ''Wuthering Heights ...

founded the talent agency Duncan Heath Associates. In an interview with the Financial Times in 2002, Heath said "she introduced me to a lot of people - if it wasn't for her it wouldn't have happened."January 2002 article on Duncan Heath at www.ft.com
Retrieved 16 February 2010 He found the money to start the business by betting the remains of his wages from William Morris on a horse that his mother had running at Newbury. The horse came in at 35:1 and Heath found himself with £3,500, a sum he described as "a shitload of money in the 1970s". He bought a fifty percent stake in a company owned and run by Christopher Long, a former ICM agent, though at first business was slow. "We spent most of our time hanging around theatres asking actors if they wanted an agent. Most of the time they just told you to fuck off." Duncan Heath Associates did prosper and was sold to the giant US-based talent agency

International Creative Management ICM Partners is a talent and literary agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York City, Washington D.C. and London. ICM (International Creative Management) Partners represents clients in the fields of motion pictures, television, music, publi ...

(ICM) in 1985. In 1991 Duncan Heath Associates merged with ICM London, and Heath became

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the merged company.

Independent Talent Group

In 2002 he led a management buyout from ICM, returning the group to independence. In August 2007, at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

, he announced that ICM UK would be renamed the Independent Talent Group, of which he is now co-chairman. His clients include

and Mike Newell. The Independent Talent Group is Europe's largest talent agency, representing many of Britain's leading actors, writers and directors. Its clients include

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...

Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001), ''The Two Towers'' (2002), a ...

Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970 ) is an English actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Weisz, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a BAFTA Award. We ...

Thandie Newton Melanie Thandiwe Newton ( ; born 6 November 1972), formerly credited as Thandie Newton, is a British actress. Newton has received various awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for ...

, and

Jonathan Glazer Jonathan Glazer (born 26 March 1965) is an English film director and screenwriter. Born in London, Glazer began his career in theatre before transitioning into film. Over the course of a career spanning nearly three decades, Glazer's directing ...

. It also has a model agency, representing a number of leading fashion models. Heath is credited under "Special thanks" on five films: Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2004), The Libertine (2005), Onegin (1999), The Krays (1990), and Buster (1988). In 2000 he was a jury member for the

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

Family life

Heath married actress

in 1974, although they were divorced in 1989. They have two children, Daniel and Laura. Laura Heath founded and runs the Hope-Martin Animal Foundation in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

.
Article on Duncan and Laura Heath in 'Relative Values in the ''Sunday Times'', 2009
Retrieved 16 February 2010 Heath's second wife is film producer

Lex Lutzus Lex Lutzus (born 1 October 1980) is a British film producer and financier. She is CEO of House of Heath Television, based in London. She is the producer of '' Still Alice'' for which Julianne Moore won the Oscar for best actress in 2015.

with whom he has two children, Jacob and Edie Heath.

References

* Article on Duncan Heath and the Independent Talent Agency Ltd in ''The Hollywood Reporter'', 31 August 2007 * "Relative Values" Article on Duncan and Laura Heath in the ''Sunday Times'', 31 May 2009 * "Agent Provocateur", article on Duncan Heath and ICM by Sathnam Sanghera in the ''Financial Times'', 29 January 2002

Notes

External links

Duncan Heath at www.bifa.org
Retrieved 16 February 2010 *
Official website of Independent Talent Group Ltd
Retrieved 16 February 2010
Article on Duncan and Laura Heath in 'Relative Values in the ''Sunday Times'', 2009
Retrieved 16 February 2010

Retrieved 16 February 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Duncan 1947 births Living people British talent agents