Don Phillips Dies: ‘Dazed and Confused’ & ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ Casting Director, ‘Melvin and Howard’ Producer Was 80

who helped launch the careers of such actors as Sean Penn, Matthew McConaughey and Mary Steenburgen, passed away on Thanksgiving Day from natural causes. He would have turned 81 on Dec. 21.

Phillips received his first break when he landed an entry-level job in the casting department of filmmaker Otto Preminger’s 1971 movieImpressed by Phillips, Preminger took an ad in Variety and Backstage to praise his work on the film.starring Al Pacino with his job subsequently expanding to casting the entire film. Lumet then tapped him as casting director on his next film,also starring Pacino. Phillips is credited with holding out for actor John Cazale to be cast opposite Pacino as Sal.

Story goes that, after Penn’s first audition did not go well, Phillips asked the young actor to come back at the end of the day to give it another try. Penn nailed the second audition and was hired on the spot. Phillips then helped assemble a cast that introduced such actors as Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forest Whitaker, Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Nicolas Cage, and Eric Stoltz, as well as Ray Walston as Mr. Hand.

Phillips befriended and lived for a time with playwright David Rabe befriended. Rabe wrote the dark-comedy play, loosely based on their personal experiences in Hollywood. It was staged on Broadway with William Hurt, Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel starring, earning a Tony nomination. Hurlyburly was later adapted into a film starring Penn , Robin Wright, Garry Shandling, Meg Ryan, and Anna Paquin.

Phillips also is credited with discovering and casting such actors in their first major roles as Rory Cochrane, Ben Affleck, Cole Hauser, Renee Zelwegger, Milla Jovovich, Anthony Rapp, Parker Posey and Nicky Katt., which starred Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Stan Lee, Claire Forlani, Shannen Doherty among others. Phillips also cast the Penn-directedwith Jack Nicholson, Anjelica Huston, Robin Wright, David Morse and Robbie Robertson.

frankp316 Still remember Mr. Hand, 'Are you people all on Dope!!' love that line and that character. Rest in Peace sir.

Damn 🙏

Legend.

Looked pretty good for 80

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