United Talent Agency Co-Founder Gary Cosay Dies 

Gary Cosay, who spent decades as a talent agent representing top TV writers and was one of the founders of United Talent Agency, died last week at age 92.

Variety, who reported earlier today that he died Oct. 5 at his home in Carmel, California, noted that he “was a quiet force in the rise of the modern-day showrunner in the 1990s and early 2000s.” During his time at UTA Cosay worked with writer-producers behind hits TV series in the 1980s and ’90s including “Married … with Children,” “The Wonder Years” and “Growing Pains.”

The publication added that while he hadn’t been active with UTA for some time, he “remained a beloved mentor to a number of current agency partners.”

“Gary Cosay was a true original whose integrity, and extraordinary contributions to the entertainment industry left a lasting mark on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,” Jay Sures, partner and vice chairman of UTA, said in a statement. “As one of the original founders of UTA, he was a fierce advocate for representing writers with vigor and passion and at the same time teaching younger agents the secret sauce for success. All of us at UTA will miss him dearly.”

Variety detailed Cosay’s career history, from getting his start in the late 1960s as an assistant at William Morris Agency in New York, joining Creative Management Associates in 1973 and then forming his own agency, Cosay, Werner & Associates. Cosplay then merged his agency with Jim Berkus and Robert Stein to form Berkus-Cosay-Stein in 1982, with the literary agents then merging with Robert Littman Co. to form Leading Artists the following year. Cosay’s journey in the agency world continued as Leading Artists merged with the Bauer-Benedek agency to launch UTA in 1991.

Cosay was passionate about animals, including “rescuing many dogs over the years, including greyhounds bred for racing that were saved from abusive conditions.” Variety adds that to honor Cosay’s memory, friends and family request donations be made to the SPCA of Monterey County.