Marci Liroff (born February 3, 1958) is a

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 to land the role of a character in a script, screenp ...

, intimacy coordinator and

acting coach An acting coach or drama coach is a teacher who trains performers – typically film, television, theatre, and musical theatre actors – and gives them advice and mentoring to enable them to improve their acting and dramatic performances, prepar ...

based in Los Angeles, California, known for her work in film and television.

Early career

After attending the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

, Liroff began her career in 1977 as an assistant to the VP of International Distribution for Dimension Pictures, where she learned about the marketing, sales and distribution of films—especially ''

blaxploitation In American cinema, Blaxploitation is the film subgenre of action movie derived from the exploitation film genre in the early 1970s, consequent to the combined cultural momentum of the black civil rights movement, the black power movement, ...

'' films ('' Black Shampoo'', ''

Dolemite ''Dolemite'' is a 1975 American blaxploitation crime comedy film and is also the name of its principal character, played by Rudy Ray Moore, who co-wrote the film and its soundtrack. Moore, who started his career as a stand-up comedy, stand-u ...

'', '' Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde'', ''Dixie Dynamite'' – and assisted in selling the rights to such pictures all over the world. A year later, Liroff became the assistant to a television agent at International Creative Management (ICM) in Los Angeles. While there, Liroff placed ICM clients on such shows as ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...

'', '' Mork and Mindy'', ''

WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson. It was based upon his experiences obs ...

'', ''

Soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...

'', ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th Street in Greenwich Village (Lower Manhattan). The series was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Janu ...

'', ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...

'', and '' Maude''. In 1979, Liroff started working with casting directors Mike Fenton and Jane Feinberg of Fenton-Feinberg Casting. Liroff started as Fenton's assistant and worked on movies such as ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...

'', and '' History of the World, Part I''. She earned credit as a casting director on '' E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'', '' Porky's'', ''

Poltergeist In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; ; or ) is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of polter ...

'', '' Blade Runner'', ''

A Christmas Story ''A Christmas Story'' is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on the 1966 book '' In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash'' by Jean Shepherd, with some elements from his 1971 book ''Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories ...

'', and ''

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, based on a story by George Lucas. It is the second installment in the Indiana Jone ...

''. A chance meeting between producer Craig Zadan and

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

resulted in Spielberg's recommendation of Liroff to cast Zadan's upcoming '' Footloose''. Liroff would go on to cast such films as '' St. Elmo's Fire'', '' Pretty in Pink'', '' The Cutting Edge'', ''

Mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

'', '' Jack Frost'', ''

The Iron Giant ''The Iron Giant'' is a 1999 American animated science fiction film directed by Brad Bird and produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation. It is loosely based on the 1968 novel '' The Iron Man'' by Ted Hughes (which was published in the United ...

'', ''

Insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...

'', '' Freaky Friday'', '' Gothika'', '' Mean Girls'', ''

The Spiderwick Chronicles ''The Spiderwick Chronicles'' is a series of children's fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. They chronicle the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into the Spider ...

'', "

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past ''Ghosts of Girlfriends Past'' is a 2009 American Fantasy film, fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Mark Waters. The script was written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (screenwriter), Scott Moore, based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Chr ...

" and '' Mr. Popper's Penguins''. She associate-produced and cast '' Untamed Heart'' and '' The Crush'', and co-produced and cast '' The Spitfire Grill'', which won the "Audience Award" at The Sundance Film Festival in 1996. Liroff was a state witness in the New York rape trial of

Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...

in 2020. As the casting director of the 2014 Weinstein-produced film '' Vampire Academy'', she testified about Weinstein staging a sham audition with Jessica Mann, one of the star witnesses in the case.

Coaching

In 2009, Liroff started private coaching of actors and created an Audition Boot Camp, in which she teaches the fundamentals of auditioning. Liroff is also a writer for ''Backstage Magazine''.

Guild affiliations

*" The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences" *" The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences" *" Teamsters 399" *" Casting Society of America" National Board Member

Filmography (casting)

Films

*" Magic Camp" (2017) *" Myrna" (2015) *" The Sublime and Beautiful" (2014) *" Vampire Academy" (2014) *" Mr. Popper's Penguins" (2010) *''

'' (2009) *''

'' (2008) *'' Full of It'' (2007) *'' Just Like Heaven'' (2005) *'' Land of the Dead'' (2005) *'' New York Minute'' (2004) *'' Mean Girls'' (2004) *'' View from the Top'' (2003) *'' Gothika'' (2003) *'' Freaky Friday'' (2003) *''

'' (2002) *'' Hardball'' (2001) *'' Summer Catch'' (2001) *'' Cats & Dogs'' (2001) *'' Ready to Rumble'' (2000) *''

'' (1999) *'' Jack Frost'' (1998) *'' The Spitfire Grill'' (1996) *'' The Tie That Binds'' (1995) *'' It Runs in the Family'' (1994) *'' The Crush'' (1993) *'' Untamed Heart'' (1993) *'' FernGully: The Last Rainforest'' (1992) *'' The Cutting Edge'' (1992) *'' Eve of Destruction'' (1991) *'' Sibling Rivalry'' (1990) *''

Men at Work Men at Work are an Australian rock band that was formed in Melbourne, 1979. They were best known for breakthrough hits such as " Down Under", " Who Can It Be Now?", " Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and ...

'' (1990) *'' Coupe de Ville'' (1990) *'' Cousins'' (1989) *'' The Experts'' (1989) *'' Hearts of Fire'' (1987) *'' You Ruined My Life'' (1987) *'' Siesta'' (1987) *''

'' (1987) *'' Pretty in Pink'' (1986) *''

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

'' (1985) *'' St. Elmo's Fire'' (1985) *'' Return to Oz'' (1985) *'' Mischief'' (1985) *'' Johnny Dangerously'' (1984) *'' The Ratings Game'' (1984) *''

'' (1984) *'' Footloose'' (1984) *''

'' (1983) *'' Running Brave'' (1983) *'' All the Right Moves'' (1983) *'' Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983) *'' Porky's II: The Next Day'' (1983) *'' Best Friends'' (1982) *'' Kiss Me Goodbye'' (1982) *'' Porky's'' (1982) *''

Endangered Species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

(1982) *'' Six Weeks'' (1982) *'' Blade Runner'' (1982) *''

'' (1982) *'' E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982)

Television

* ''The Paul Reiser Show'' (TV pilot) (2010) * ''Atlanta'' (TV pilot) (2007) *'' The Strip'' (1999) * ''Dellaventura'' (TV pilot) (1997)

Filmography (producer)

Films

*'' The Spitfire Grill'' (1996) (co-producer) *'' The Crush'' (1993) (associate producer) *'' Untamed Heart'' (1993) (associate producer)

References

External links

Marci Liroff – Official Website

Liroff's columns on Backstage.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liroff, Marci 1958 births Living people Film producers from California American casting directors American women casting directors Film people from Los Angeles University of Denver alumni Intimacy coordinators