Teri Hayden, an Irish talent agent who launched the careers of Gabriel Byrne (“The Usual Suspects”), Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) and more, died in Dublin on April 18 following a long illness. She was 75.
Hayden’s career first began in the early 1980s when she noticed there was a demand for expanding actors’ representation in Ireland. “Coming from a background of finance she intuited that Irish theatre, television and film were about to expand though there was little evidence for this at the time.Soon she became Ireland’s premier agent and rapidly won respect and recognition in a then mostly male preserve,” James Byron, a friend of the family, wrote in a statement.
“Never one to seek the limelight, she was howevera fearless negotiator, determined to secure the best possible deal for her clients.She was also responsible for anonymously brokering projects even when she had no stake in the production.Despite the offer of a lucrative buy out by a major Hollywood agency, she refused to surrender her independence,” Byron said.
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Hayden was born in Derry, Ireland, on April 26, 1948. She moved to Britain to pursue her secondary education where she studied economics and finance at Manchester University. During her career, she also repped Ruth Negga and Domhnall Gleeson.
Hayden is survived by her husband Brian,sonKarl (who worked alongside his mother as an agent for 23 years and is now the director of their company, The Agency), daughter Lisa and her five grandchildren.
