Hollywood icon Jay Kanter, agent to the stars, passes away at the age of 97 | Entertainment & Arts Report

Legendary Hollywood producer and agent Jay Kanter has passed away at the age of 97.

Kanter represented some of the biggest names ever to grace the silver screen, including Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando, with whom he developed a lifelong friendship.

A spokesperson for Independent Artist Group confirmed that Kanter peacefully passed away from natural causes at his residence in Beverly Hills.

After serving in the US Navy, he joined the media management group MCA as a junior agent in the 1940s. It was there that he successfully recruited Brando away from a rival agent, marking the beginning of a close relationship that endured until the actor’s passing in 2004.

Kanter also represented notable figures such as Grace Kelly, Ronald Reagan, Warren Beatty, Paul Newman, and Laurence Olivier before transitioning into film production.

Together with his longtime friend and collaborator Mel Brooks, he worked on projects like “Young Frankenstein,” “Silent Movie,” and “High Anxiety.”

He also played a role in producing blockbuster films such as “Chariots of Fire,” “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” “Thelma and Louise,” as well as entries in the Star Wars and Police Academy franchises.

Kanter is survived by six children and several grandchildren. He was married three times, first to actress Roberta Haynes, then to another actress Judy Balaban.

He shared 49 years of marriage with his third wife Kit Bennett Kanter before her passing in 2014.