Casting director Michael Shurtleff dies

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Michael Shurtleff, a leading casting director for Broadway and Hollywood, died in his Los Angeles home after a series of health issues at 86.

Shurtleff was one of the most powerful people in the business aspects of Broadway during in the 1960s and 1970s, The New York Times said. He worked with David Merrick, Bob Fosse and Andrew Lloyd Webber, casting for shows such as "Irma la Douce," "Chicago" and "Jesus Christ Superstar."

He later began an independent casting service, a pioneering venture.

After encountering aggravations while casting the 1966 Broadway production of "The Lion in Winter," Shurtleff wrote a handbook about the tryout process, "Audition." The year the book was published, he moved to Los Angeles, where he taught classes based on his book.

In Hollywood, he cast for films such as "The Graduate" and "The Sound of Music."

Shurtleff, who died Jan. 28, is survived by two brothers.