James David "Jay" Moloney (November 14, 1964 – November 16, 1999) was an American Hollywood

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 ...

. Moloney was a top Creative Artists Agency (CAA) agent and a protégé of CAA founder

Michael Ovitz Michael Steven Ovitz (born December 14, 1946) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He was a talent agent who co-founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975 and served as its chairman until 1995. Ovitz later served as preside ...

. He committed suicide at age 35.

Early life and education

Moloney grew up in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, but moved to

Newport, Oregon Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868. Newport was named for Newport, Rhode Island. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...

with his mother at age 14. His father, Jim Moloney, was a Hollywood screenwriter who died in 1994. He was of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

descent.

Career

Moloney joined Creative Artists Agency (CAA) as an intern in June 1983 while attending

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

. He later dropped out of college at the age of 20. He quickly became a protege of Michael Ovitz, the founder of CAA. By the age of 21, Moloney was part of CAA's "Young Turks", along with David O'Connor, Kevin Huvane, Richard Lovett and

Bryan Lourd Bryan William Lourd (born November 5, 1960) is an American talent agent. He is a partner, managing director and co-chairman of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) since October 1995. Early life Bryan William Lourd was born on November 5, 1960, in New ...

, who as a group would go on to lead CAA after Ovitz's departure. At the peak of his career, he handled Hollywood stars including

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...

, and Leonardo DiCaprio. After Ovitz left CAA for

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

, Moloney was named managing director. Due to an addiction to cocaine that started in 1995, Moloney was unable to perform on the job, and was later forced out of CAA. His career fall was documented in the media. In 1999, he joined Paradise Music & Entertainment, but his contract was terminated due to his frequent absences.

Personal life

He became addicted to painkillers following open-heart surgery to correct a congenital defect. Moloney was a rising star inside CAA even at a young age, and became the protege of Michael Ovitz, the founder of CAA. He felt abandoned when Ovitz left CAA for

. His drug and alcohol problem got worse during this time, which was shortly after the death of his alcoholic father, from whom he had been estranged. Moloney dated several actresses including

Jennifer Grey Jennifer Grey (born March 26, 1960) is an American actress. She made her acting debut with the film ''Reckless'' (1984), and had her breakthrough with the teen comedy film '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986). She subsequently earned worldwide ...

Sherilyn Fenn Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn; February 1, 1965) is an American actress and author. She came to attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Go ...

, and

Gina Gershon Gina L. Gershon (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress. She has had roles in the films ''Cocktail (1988 film), Cocktail'' (1988), ''Red Heat (1988 film), Red Heat'' (1988), ''Showgirls'' (1995), ''Bound (1996 film), Bound'' (1996), ''Face/ ...

. Moloney was described by many as handsome, charming, and affable.

Death and legacy

He committed suicide by hanging himself two days after he turned 35 on November 16, 1999.

Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an Italian-born American actor and film director. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and the half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for h ...

played a character inspired by Moloney in Bernard Rose's film ''

Ivans Xtc ''ivansxtc'' is an American independent drama film co-written by Bernard Rose and Lisa Enos, produced by Lisa Enos and directed by Bernard Rose, the first of several Enos-Rose collaborations, including ''Snuff-Movie'' (2005), ''Kreutzer Sonata'' ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moloney, Jay 1964 births 1999 suicides American talent agents American entertainment industry businesspeople Suicides by hanging in California People from Malibu, California People from Newport, Oregon University of Southern California alumni American people of Irish descent American people of Jewish descent 1999 deaths