Martha Luttrell, the onetime ICM talent agent whose clients included Susan Sarandon, Sam Shepard, Waylon Jennings, Don Was and Martin Campbell, has died. She was 80.
Luttrell died Monday of pancreatic cancer in Calabasas, California, a family spokesperson announced.
Luttrell, who spent 25 years at ICM, also repped directors Paul Weiland, Mick Jackson, Julie Taymor, Tony Bill and Jon Amiel; actors Stephen Rea and Judy Davis; and filmmakers/conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert.
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Luttrell was born in Vancouver on Halloween in 1944. Her father, James, was a salesman and her mother, Frances, a realtor. She knew at an early age that she wanted to be in show business and moved with her cousin to Los Angeles right out of high school. One of her first jobs was working at Capitol Records answering the phones.
In the early 1970s, Luttrell relocated to New York and became the assistant to Mike Nichols, whom she called a “tough taskmaster” and a mentor. After working with him on location on The Day of the Dolphin (1973), she returned to L.A. and served as an assistant to Bill Robinson at The Robinson Agency. It was there that she learned how to be an agent.
Robinson eventually made her a partner in his agency, which represented the likes of Carol Burnett, James Garner and Robert Duvall, and Robinson/Luttrell and Associates was acquired by ICM in 1983.
“At the time she began her career, there were few women in senior positions working in talent agencies,” former ICM chief Jeff Berg noted. “Martha made a real difference advancing opportunities for women, which is quite a legacy.”
Known for her devotion to those she represented, her great taste in material and her tenacity when making a deal, she was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and served a term as chairperson of the Academy’s agent group.
Luttrell also was appointed by Gil Cates to the advisory board for the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
She owned a home in Aspen and retired there after leaving ICM, becoming active in community organizations. Every year, she threw a large party to celebrate her Halloween birthday.
Survivors include her nephew, Peter, his wife, Stephanie, and their two children; her nieces, Heather and Wendy; and her goddaughter, Francesca.
A celebration of her life will be held at a future date. Donations in her honor can be made to the Aspen Community Foundation.
