Agent, producer and frequent Martin Scorsese collaborator Harry J. Ufland, whose career spanned more than 60 years in Hollywood, died March 2 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 81.
Ufland’s producing credits included Scorsese’s 1988 “The Last Temptation of Christ,” starring Willem Dafoe.
Born in Manhattan, Ufland kicked off his career in entertainment as an agent working at the New York William Morris office in 1958. He later left the agency in 1974 to join CMA/ICM for two years until 1976, then started his own agency.
Clients on his roster included Scorsese as well as Robert DeNiro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel.
Other clients of Ufland’s included Marcello Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Jodie Foster, Joel Grey, Donald Sutherland and Martin Sheen. Aside from his work as an agent, Ufland also co-founded Ufland-Roth Productions with partner Joe Roth.
Ufland worked with Scorsese on such films as “Mean Streets” (1973), “Taxi Driver” (1976), and “Raging Bull” (1980), which he packaged. He also packaged Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” (1982).
Popular on Variety
Ufland also produced the Scorsese-helmed “Bad” music video for Michael Jackson.
His most recent producing credits include “Crazy/Beautiful” (2001) starring Kirsten Dunst, “Keep the Faith, Baby” (2002) with Vanessa Williams, and the comedy “The Big Wedding” (2013), which paired him up with DeNiro one last time.
Ufland also served as a professor at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.
He is survived by his wife Mary Jane, their son Tommy, and his children John, Anne, Christopher, Jennifer, and Joslin from a previous marriage to Mary Ufland Cossette.
(Pictured: Mary Jane Ufland and Harry Ufland)
