Sandy Bresler, Jack Nicholson’s longtime agent and agency co-founder, dies at 87

Sandy Bresler, who served as actor Jack Nicholson’s agent for six decades, has died at age 87.

The industry veteran died Thursday in Santa Monica after a short illness, his family said in a statement, adding that he had “established the gold standard for personally curated talent representation.”

“Sandy was a unique person, generous with his time and knowledge,” John Kelly, Bresler’s partner at Bresler Kelly and Associates, told The Times on Friday. “And always a great deal of fun!” The two co-founded the agency in 1983.

Bresler was born on Jan. 20, 1937. He met Nicholson when the two bunked together in the California Air National Guard. The son of “Casino Royale” producer Jerry Bresler, he was “another second-generation Hollywood kid,” Patrick McGilligan wrote in “Jack’s Life: A Biography of Jack Nicholson.”

“Like Nicholson, Bresler was a diehard film buff, raised on a steady diet of movies,” the biographer wrote. “He had the connections to check 16mm prints out of studio libraries and show them in Jack’s living room. That was part of their friendship.”

That friendship grew into a professional partnership when Bresler began representing the three-time Academy Award winner in 1961 — a year after he started his career as a secretary at William Morris Agency.

“For over a decade, Nicholson suffered from unaggressive and unimaginative representation,” McGilligan wrote. “The agent problem was to be eventually resolved, at the time of ‘Easy Rider,’ in the person of Sandy Bresler.”

“There is only one agent who has stayed with me, guided me, tolerated my tantrums, my operatic behavior and so forth,” Nicholson said while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in 1999.

“His name escapes me,” he joked, continuing, “Sandy Bresler, my pal and comrade in arms!”

After leaving William Morris Agency, Bresler worked at ICM, eventually leaving to establish Bresler, Wolff, Cota & Livingston, later known as the Artists Agency, Deadline reported. He was a lifelong member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

He also served on the board of the Assn. of Talent Agents for almost three decades, and was president of the ATA for more than a decade.

“Throughout Sandy’s remarkable tenure, as a friend and leader, he demonstrated unparalleled dedication and visionary leadership, guiding the association through a period of significant growth and transformation,” ATA’s Executive Director Karen Stuart said Thursday in a statement.

“Under his stewardship, ATA expanded its reach and influence. Sandy’s unwavering commitment to the talent agency profession were instrumental in advancing the interests of our members and elevating the industry as a whole,” Stuart continued. “Sandy was a mentor to many and he leaves behind a lasting impact that will be felt for years to come.”

Bresler is survived by his wife of 58 years, Nancy; son Eric; daughter Jennifer Galperson; and his twin grandsons, Brandon and Jonah.