Mary Selway (14 March 1936 – 21 April 2004) was an English

casting director In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenp ...

Life

Selway was born in Norwich in 1936, daughter of a cinema manager and impresario. At the age of 13 she enrolled at the

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts is a performing arts conservatoire based in Woking, England. It was founded in 1911 by Italia Conti, an actress. The first production at Italia Conti Academy was the play '' Where the Rainbow Ends''. F ...

in London to study acting. By 19 she had decided not to become an actress, and went to work as a production assistant at ITV before starting to work in casting, first under Miriam Brickman and then, from 1969, under

Lindsay Anderson Lindsay Gordon Anderson (17 April 1923 – 30 August 1994) was a British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading-light of the Free Cinema movement and of the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered for ...

at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

in London. By the age of 34 she had started casting films, which she continued for the rest of her life.

Career

Selway worked with a number of renowned directors over three decades, including Steven Spielberg,

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, Clint Eastwood, John Boorman, Sydney Pollack, Robert Altman,

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Fred Zinnemann Alfred ''Fred'' Zinnemann (April 29, 1907 – March 14, 1997) was an Austrian Empire-born American film director. He won four Academy Awards for directing and producing films in various genres, including thrillers, westerns, film noir and pla ...

and Ridley Scott. She was responsible for the casting of 104 films and gained a reputation for fairness, determination, charm, wisdom and irreverence. Selway was always seeking new acting talent, watching films from all over the world and attending fringe theatre performances. She was also a tireless champion of new actors she discovered and nurtured. Unusually, she would stay in touch with the cast throughout the shooting process. In the 2001 BAFTA Awards she won the

Michael Balcon Sir Michael Elias Balcon (19 May 1896 – 17 October 1977) was an English film producer known for his leadership of Ealing Studios in West London from 1938 to 1955. Under his direction, the studio became one of the most important British fil ...

Award for outstanding British contribution to cinema. A biographical documentary entitled ''A Cast of Thousands: The Life of Mary Selway'' is being produced in celebration of her life. It is directed by Isabelle Gregson, who explained that it aims "in its own small way to give those who didn't have the pleasure of knowing her, a taste for her enormous contribution to Cinema through the eyes and words of those who knew and loved her." The

British Academy of Film and Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

(BAFTA) '' Orange Rising Star Award'' for the best young actor is dedicated to the memory of Mary Selway. Selway's death in 2004 is acknowledged by a memorium at the end credits of the movie '' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire''.

Films (selection)

She directed the casting of many well-known films, including: *''

Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

'' (1979) *'' Outland'' (1981) *'' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981) *''

Trail of the Pink Panther A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. T ...

'' (1982) *''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...

'' (1983) *''

Curse of the Pink Panther ''Curse of the Pink Panther'' is a 1983 comedy film and a continuation of ''The Pink Panther'' series of films created by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s. The film was one of two produced concurrently following the death of the series' star Pet ...

'' (1983) *'' Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' (1984) *''

Top Secret! ''Top Secret!'' is a 1984 American action comedy film written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker ( ZAZ). It stars Val Kilmer (in his film debut role) and Lucy Gutteridge alongside a supporting cast featuring Omar Shari ...

'' (1984) *'' Aliens'' (1986) *''

Withnail and I ''Withnail and I'' is a 1987 British black comedy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Loosely based on Robinson's life in London in the late 1960s, the plot follows two unemployed actors, Withnail and "I" (portrayed by Richard E. Gran ...

'' (1987) *''

Gorillas in the Mist ''Gorillas in the Mist'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Michael Apted and starring Sigourney Weaver as the naturalist Dian Fossey. It tells the story of her work in Rwanda with mountain gorillas and was nominated for five Academy Aw ...

'' (1988) *''

The Russia House ''The Russia House'' is a spy novel by British writer John le Carré published in 1989. The title refers to the nickname given to the portion of the British Secret Intelligence Service that was devoted to spying on the Soviet Union. A film b ...

'' (1990) *''

King Ralph ''King Ralph'' is a 1991 American comedy film written and directed by David S. Ward and starring John Goodman, Peter O'Toole, and John Hurt. The film is about an American who becomes the unlikely King of the United Kingdom after an electrical ac ...

'' (1991) *''

First Knight ''First Knight'' is a 1995 medieval film based on Arthurian legend, directed by Jerry Zucker. It stars Sean Connery as King Arthur, Richard Gere as Lancelot, Julia Ormond as Guinevere and Ben Cross as Malagant. The film follows the rogue La ...

'' (1995) *''

The Ghost and the Darkness ''The Ghost and the Darkness'' is a 1996 American historical adventure film directed by Stephen Hopkins and starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. The screenplay, written by William Goldman, is a fictionalized account of the Tsavo man-eaters, ...

'' (1996) *''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'' (1998) *''

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

'' (1999) *'' Captain Corelli's Mandolin'' (2001) *''

Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family ...

'' (2001) *''

Gosford Park ''Gosford Park'' is a 2001 satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. It was influenced by Jean Renoir's French classic ''La Règle du jeu'' ('' The Rules of the Game''). The film stars ...

'' (2001) *'' K-19: The Widowmaker'' (2002) *'' The Sleeping Dictionary'' (2003) *''

Love Actually ''Love Actually'' is a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. It features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous film and television proje ...

'' (2003) *'' Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'' (2003) *''

The Chronicles of Riddick ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' is a 2004 American science fiction action film written and directed by David Twohy. It follows the adventures of Richard B. Riddick as he attempts to elude capture after the events depicted in the 2000 film '' Pitc ...

'' (2004) *'' Thunderbirds'' (2004) *''

Enduring Love ''Enduring Love'' (1997) is a novel by British writer Ian McEwan. The plot concerns two strangers who become perilously entangled after witnessing a deadly accident. Summary On a beautiful and cloudless day, a middle-aged couple celebrate thei ...

'' (2004) *'' Vanity Fair'' (2004) *'' The Libertine'' (2004) *'' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' (2005)

Personal life

Selway was married to the actor

Norman Rodway Norman John Frank Rodway (7 February 1929 – 13 March 2001) was an Anglo-Irish actor. Early life Rodway was born at the family home, Elsinore (named after the castle where Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'' is set), on Coliemore Road, Dalkey, Dublin ...

in January 1966. The couple parted a few years later. She had two daughters with her partner of nineteen years, the actor

Keith Buckley Keith Buckley (born November 19, 1979) is an American singer, best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the now defunct hardcore punk band Every Time I Die and the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things. He is also a published author. Ear ...

: the agent Kate Buckley and the actress Emma Buckley. During her last fourteen years her partner was Ileen Maisel. Selway died of cancer in London, aged 68.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Selway, Mary 1936 births 2004 deaths BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award British casting directors Women casting directors Deaths from cancer in England People from Norwich