Duncan Heath
Encyclopedia
Duncan Heath is a leading British talent agent
and the co-chairman of the Independent Talent Group
, Europe's largest talent agency, based in Soho
, London
. His clients include many leading figures in the British film industry, including Michael Caine
, Maggie Smith
, Gary Oldman
, Alan Rickman
, Sam Mendes
and Mike Newell
.
Heath was born in 1947, the son of Sir Barrie Heath
(1916–1988), a decorated former Battle of Britain
Spitfire pilot and later chairman of the engineering giant GKN
. 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". "
, and then in 1971 joined the William Morris Agency
in London
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". "
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." 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) in 1985. In 1991 Duncan Heath Associates merged with ICM London, and Heath became chairman of the merged company. "
, he announced that ICM UK would be renamed the Independent Talent Group
, of which he is now now co-chairman. His clients include Michael Caine
, Maggie Smith
, Gary Oldman
, Alan Rickman
, Sam Mendes
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
, Orlando Bloom
, Rachel Weisz
, Thandie Newton
, and Jonathan Glazer
. 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
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
.
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
and the co-chairman of the Independent Talent Group
Independent Talent Group Ltd.
Independent Talent Group Ltd. is the new name of the London based talent, literary, and model agency formerly known as ICM London.- History :...
, Europe's largest talent agency, based in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His clients include many leading figures in the British film industry, including Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
, Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith
Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE , better known as Maggie Smith, is an English film, stage, and television actress who made her stage debut in 1952 and is still performing after 59 years...
, Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
, Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, Sam Mendes
Sam Mendes
Samuel Alexander "Sam" Mendes, CBE is an English stage and film director. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning work on his debut film American Beauty and his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret , Oliver! , Company and Gypsy . He's currently working on the 23rd James Bond...
and Mike Newell
Mike Newell (director)
Michael Cormac "Mike" Newell is an English director and producer of motion pictures for the screen and for television. After the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005, Newell became the third most commercially successful British director in recent years, behind Christopher Nolan...
.
Early life
Barrie Heath
- Bibliography :*Saunders, Andy. . No 43 Squadron Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-439-9- External links :* Retrieved: February 16, 2010.* Retrieved: February 16, 2010.* Retrieved: February 16, 2010....
(1916–1988), a decorated former Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
Spitfire pilot and later chairman of the engineering giant GKN
GKN
GKN plc is a multinational automotive and aerospace components company headquartered in Redditch, United Kingdom. The company was formerly known as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds and can trace its origins back to 1759 and the birth of the Industrial Revolution.GKN is listed on the London Stock...
. 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 advertisingAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, and then in 1971 joined the William Morris Agency
William Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
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". "
Duncan Heath Associates
In 1973 he and his wife-to-be Hilary DwyerHilary Dwyer
Hilary Dwyer is a former actress, businessperson and film producer.-Early life:Dwyer is the daughter of an Orthopaedic Surgeon. As a youth, she practiced ballet and became a talented pianist...
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." 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
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
. 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
International Creative Management
International Creative Management is a talent and literary agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and London. ICM is a full-service agency representing creative and technical talent in the fields of motion pictures, television, fiction and nonfiction publishing, music, live performance,...
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
International Creative Management
International Creative Management is a talent and literary agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and London. ICM is a full-service agency representing creative and technical talent in the fields of motion pictures, television, fiction and nonfiction publishing, music, live performance,...
(ICM) in 1985. In 1991 Duncan Heath Associates merged with ICM London, and Heath became chairman 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 FestivalVenice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, he announced that ICM UK would be renamed the Independent Talent Group
Independent Talent Group Ltd.
Independent Talent Group Ltd. is the new name of the London based talent, literary, and model agency formerly known as ICM London.- History :...
, of which he is now now co-chairman. His clients include Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
, Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith
Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE , better known as Maggie Smith, is an English film, stage, and television actress who made her stage debut in 1952 and is still performing after 59 years...
, Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
, Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, Sam Mendes
Sam Mendes
Samuel Alexander "Sam" Mendes, CBE is an English stage and film director. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning work on his debut film American Beauty and his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret , Oliver! , Company and Gypsy . He's currently working on the 23rd James Bond...
and Mike Newell
Mike Newell (director)
Michael Cormac "Mike" Newell is an English director and producer of motion pictures for the screen and for television. After the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005, Newell became the third most commercially successful British director in recent years, behind Christopher Nolan...
.
The Independent Talent Group
Independent Talent Group Ltd.
Independent Talent Group Ltd. is the new name of the London based talent, literary, and model agency formerly known as ICM London.- History :...
is Europe's largest talent agency, representing many of Britain's leading actors, writers and directors. Its clients include Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
, Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
, Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
, Thandie Newton
Thandie Newton
Thandiwe Nashita "Thandie" Newton is a British actress. She has appeared in a number of British and American films, including The Pursuit of Happyness, Mission: Impossible II, Crash, Run, Fatboy, Run and W....
, and Jonathan Glazer
Jonathan Glazer
Jonathan Glazer is an English director of films, commercials and music videos.-Biography:After studying theatre design at Nottingham Trent University, Glazer started out directing theatre and making film and television trailers, including award-winning work for the BBC...
. 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
Churchill: The Hollywood Years
Churchill: The Hollywood Years is a 2004 film, directed by Peter Richardson. It stars Christian Slater as Winston Churchill, and Neve Campbell as Elizabeth II...
(2004), The Libertine
The Libertine (2005 film)
The Libertine is a 2004 film starring Johnny Depp, John Malkovich, Samantha Morton and Rosamund Pike. Directed by Laurence Dunmore in his first outing and adapted by Stephen Jeffreys' from his play of the same name, the film stars Johnny Depp as John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, a notorious rake...
(2005), Onegin
Onegin (film)
Onegin is a 1999 British-American romantic drama film based on Alexander Pushkin's novel in verse Eugene Onegin, co-produced by British and American companies and shot mostly in the United Kingdom...
(1999), The Krays
The Krays (film)
The Krays is a 1990 film based on the lives and crimes of the British gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray, twins who are often referred to as The Krays...
(1990), and Buster
Buster (film)
Buster is a 1988 comedy-drama film starring musician Phil Collins, Julie Walters, Larry Lamb and Sheila Hancock. The soundtrack featured two Phil Collins singles which eventually topped the Billboard 100 singles chart.-Plot:...
(1988).
In 2000 he was a jury member for the British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Awards
The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
Family life
Heath married actress Hilary DwyerHilary Dwyer
Hilary Dwyer is a former actress, businessperson and film producer.-Early life:Dwyer is the daughter of an Orthopaedic Surgeon. As a youth, she practiced ballet and became a talented pianist...
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
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
.
External links
- Duncan Heath at www.bifa.org Retrieved Feb 16 2010
- Duncan Heath at www.imdb.com Retrieved Feb 16 2010
- Official website of Independent Talent Group Ltd Retrieved Feb 16 2010
- Article on Duncan and Laura Heath in 'Relative Values in the Sunday Times, 2009 Retrieved Feb 16 2010
- January 2002 article on Duncan Heath at www.ft.com Retrieved Feb 16 2010