Marcia S. Ross (born July 27, 1955) is an American

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 ...

and film producer. She is best known for casting such films as ''

Clueless ''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone, and was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert Lawrence. The film is a loose adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 no ...

'', ''

10 Things I Hate About You ''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger in his film directorial debut and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, and Larisa Oleynik. The scree ...

'', and ''

The Princess Diaries ''The Princess Diaries'' is a series of epistolary young adult novels written by Meg Cabot, and is also the title of the first volume, published in 2000. The series spent 48 weeks on the New York Times Children's Series Best Sellers List. The ...

''. Her production credits include the documentaries '' Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life'' and '' Nasrin''.

Early life and education

Marcia Ross was born in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Moun ...

, the daughter of Joan (née Flug) and Richard Ross (1927–2012); her father was a New York State Assemblyman for the 88th District. She attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

(1973–1975) as a theatre major and has a B.A. from

Antioch University Los Angeles Antioch University Los Angeles (AULA) is a campus of Antioch University in Culver City, California. Background Antioch College was founded in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Horace Mann, Antioch College's first president's goal was to create an educatio ...

(class of 2016).

Career

Early career

Ross' first professional job was as an apprentice in summer stock theatre at the Westchester Playhouse in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

, followed by touring with a children's theatre company working as an assistant stage manager for producers

Barry and Fran Weissler Barry & Fran Weissler are American theatrical producers. Career Barry Weissler (born 1939), a Rutgers Law School drop-out, and Fran Weissler (born 1928), a New York University drama major,Circle in the Square Theatre The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, within the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. The current Broadway theater, completed in 1972, i ...

in New York City in 1976 and the Monty Silver Talent Agency in 1977. Her first casting job was at

CBS Television CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

in New York City in 1979. She then relocated to Los Angeles to work with casting director, Judith Holstra - starting as her assistant, then associate, and partner in Holstra / Ross Casting between 1980 and 1988.

As casting director

Ross worked as an independent casting director (Marcia Ross Casting) and casting executive for motion pictures and television, working on feature films, network series, pilots, movies for television, and mini-series. She worked for 16 years as EVP for Casting for the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, and for five years as SVP for Casting and Talent Development at

Warner Brothers Television Warner Bros. Television Studios, operating under the name Warner Bros. Television (abbreviated as WBTV; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division), is an American television production and distribution studio and the flagship studio of ...

between 1988 and 1993. As a casting director, Ross has been credited with introducing several new acting talents, such as

Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he moved to the United States in 1998 to further develop his film care ...

in ''

'',

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime ...

in ''

'',

Rachel McAdams Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. After graduating from York University in 2001 with a BFA in theatre, she worked in Canadian television and film productions, such as the drama film '' Perfect Pie'' (2002), ...

in ''

The Hot Chick ''The Hot Chick'' is a 2002 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Brady (in his directorial debut), from a screenplay by Brady and Rob Schneider, and starring Schneider, Anna Faris, Matthew Lawrence, Eric Christian Olsen, and Rachel ...

'',

Paul Rudd Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. Rudd studied theatre at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making his acting debut in 1991. He was included on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 li ...

and

Brittany Murphy Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer, known for her work in both comedy and drama. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to pursue a career in a ...

in ''

'',

Chris Pine Christopher Whitelaw Pine (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' reboot film series (2009–2016) and Steve Trevor in the DC Extended Universe films ''Wonder Woman'' ...

in ''

The Princess Diaries 2 ''The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it is the sequel to 2001's ''The Princess Diaries''. Unlike the first film, it is not based on any ...

'',

Megan Fox Megan Denise Fox (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the family film ''Holiday in the Sun (film), Holiday in the Sun'' (2001), which was followed by numerous supporting roles in film and television, such a ...

in ''

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen ''Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen'' is a 2004 American teen musical comedy film directed by Sara Sugarman from a screenplay by Gail Parent, based on Dyan Sheldon's 1999 novel of the same name. It stars Lindsay Lohan as an aspiring tee ...

'', and

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company ...

in ''

Mr. Magoo Mr. Magoo, whose first name is "Quincy", is a fictional cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced for many years by Jim Backus, Mr. Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comi ...

''. Some of her other notable credits for casting include ''

thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust a ...

'', ''

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion ''Romy and Michele's High School Reunion'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by David Mirkin and starring Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow, and Janeane Garofalo. The plot revolves around two women who appear to have not achieved much success in ...

'', '' The Lookout'', ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a Science fiction comedy, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC ...

'', '' Parental Guidance'', '' Small Time'', and '' Oblivion''.

As producer

Between 2012 and 2015, Ross co-produced the feature-length documentaries '' The State of Marriage'', ''Father Joseph'', and ''The Savoy King: Chick Webb and The Music That Changed America'', with

Jeff Kaufman Jeff Kaufman (born July 6, 1955) is an American film producer, director, writer, and artist. Kaufman has produced, written, and directed documentaries focusing on human rights activism and cultural icons including ''The State of Marriage'', ''Ever ...

. In 2018, Ross co-produced '' Every Act of Life'', a documentary on the playwright and LGBT activist

Terrence McNally Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," M ...

. It was broadcast as part of the ''

American Masters ''American Masters'' is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and those who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the U ...

'' series on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

and received an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. In 2020, Ross and Kaufman co-produced '' Nasrin'', which follows the life and work of the Iranian human rights lawyer

Nasrin Sotoudeh Nasrin Sotoudeh (Persian: نسرین ستوده) is an Iranian human rights lawyer known for her defense of activists, opposition politicians, and individuals facing human rights violations. She has represented Iranian opposition activists and ...

, up until the time of her second arrest and imprisonment in 2018. The film was nominated for Best Political Documentary at the

6th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards The 6th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards were presented on November 14, 2021 at the BRIC in Brooklyn, New York, honoring the finest achievements in documentary filmmaking and non-fiction television. It was hosted by Roy Wood Jr. '' Ascension' ...

Personal life

She is married to documentary filmmaker and business partner,

. She has one daughter, Alice, and two step-children, Anna and Daniel.

Awards and nominations

;For casting ;For producing

Honorary accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Marcia 1955 births Living people American documentary film producers American casting directors American women casting directors People from Mount Vernon, New York Film producers from New York (state)