William Meiklejohn (; March 16, 1903 – April 26, 1981), was a 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 sp ...

and scout in the 1920s through the 1940s. He had his own talent agency called the William Meiklejohn Agency that he sold to MCA in May 1939. At the time of the sale, his agency had over 100 actors and writers like

Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, ...

and

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. He was known for his self-avowed “seventh sense” to discover and promote stars such as Mickey Rooney,

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

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, and in 1937 Ronald Reagan who was then a sportscaster in

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. Meiklejohn began his career in 1921 in his native

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as a booking agent for 80 different

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acts. In 1939 he sold his agency to the Music Corporation of America (MCA) when the corporation opened in Hollywood and joined them as vice-president in charge of setting up their motion picture division. In 1940, he was loaned to

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

for two weeks, but stayed for 20 years as head of talent and casting. In 1960, he left the studio and once again became an independent agent for the likes of

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, and his close friend Ronald Reagan. Meiklejohn died, aged 78, on April 26, 1981 in Burbank, California from undisclosed causes. AP (''

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''), Obituary, April 30, 1981, Thursday

Hollywood Walk of Fame

For contributions to the motion picture industry he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1777 Vine Street. the star is inscribed simply "Meiklejohn" as it was dedicated to not only William but also his siblings, sister Jean and brother Campbell. Jean ran the Meiklejohn and Dunn Theatrical agency which was located in the Majestic Theatre building in Hollywood, along with another brother Matthew. Campbell was manager of

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre Grauman's Egyptian Theatre is a historic movie theater located at 6706 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California. Opened in 1922, it is an early example of a lavish movie palace and is noted as having been the site of the first-ever Hollywood ...

in Hollywood which held the first Hollywood premiere ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

'' in 1922 the last one to be held at the Egyptian was '' Funny Girl'' in 1968.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meiklejohn, William 1903 births 1981 deaths People from Greater Los Angeles American talent agents Hollywood talent agents 20th-century American businesspeople