Louis DiGiaimo, casting director, Died at 77

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Louis DiGiaimo was born in 1938, and died on December 19, 2015.

He was an American casting director and film producer.

Louis was one of the casting directors of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather and went on to help cast multiple films each for directors William Friedkin, Barry Levinson and Ridley Scott.

He also produced Mike Newell’s Donnie Brasco alongside Levinson and, in 1998, Louis won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series for Levinson’s television series Homicide: Life on the Street.

Louis spent his childhood in Paterson, New Jersey.

He graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University and worked as an accountant before embarking on a career as a casting director.

His big break came in 1968 when he met director Martin Ritt, who was preparing to shoot the mafia drama The Brotherhood, starring Kirk Douglas.

Louis manner in seeking out both actors and non-actors for The Brotherhood impressed Ritt, and the director hired him to work on the film.

Louis went on to make his debut as a principal casting director on a far more successful mafia picture, Francis Ford Coppola’s Academy Award-winning The Godfather.

In between The Brotherhood and The Godfather, Louis worked with director William Friedkin for the first time on The French Connection, though his work on the film went uncredited.

He reunited with Friedkin soon thereafter, this time as a principal casting director on the renowned horror hit The Exorcist.

Louis cast several more films, including the 1975 releases Breakheart Pass and Farewell, My Lovely, before reteaming with Friedkin for The Brink’s Job and yet again for Cruising.

He was also the casting director on Brian G. Hutton’s The First Deadly Sin, which features Frank Sinatra in his last starring role.

Louis DiGiaimo passed away in Oakland, New Jersey, on December 19, 2015, due to complications from a stroke. He was 77 years old.