When did Jackie Burch begin her casting career? Highlights explored as 'The Breakfast Club' casting director dies at 74

Jackie Burch began her casting career in the early 1980s. Although the exact year is unknown, she began her casting career with films such as Psycho 2, DC Cab, Smokey and the Bandit Part 3, and Forbidden World.

Before Jackie Burch moved to the film industry to work as a casting director, she was previously a deaf education teacher. She was born in Newburgh, New York, and later worked in Los Angeles as a substitute assistant for an executive who worked at Universal Studios.

After more than four decades in the film industry, Jackie Burch's family announced that the renowned casting director had passed away on Sunday (October 12) after a four-month battle with endometrial cancer. She was 74 years old when she died. She is survived by her twin sister, Janice Papolos, her two daughters, Samy Burch and Molly Burch, as well as her sons-in-law, Alex Mechanik and Dailey Toliver.

Which films did Jackie Burch help cast during her career?

Jackie Burch began her career as a casting director with movies such as Psycho 2, DC Cab, and more. However, she immediately started working with the late American filmmaker and producer John Hughes. While working with them, she cast for films such as Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles.

Burch was big in the action movie genre and was working on several Arnold Schwarzenegger films. These include Predator, Commando, and The Running Man.

She also worked with former filmmaker John McTiernan and cast Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman for his film Die Hard.

By the 2010s, she began working as a casting director for a handful of franchise films, including Iron Man 3, Hunger Games, and Ant-Man. She was also the southeast casting director for Hidden Figures, a film that received many Oscar nominations. It also won an Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the SAG Awards.

In 2015, she won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie or a Special for Bessie. She was also nominated seven times for the Casting Society of America’s Artios Awards and won in 2017.

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Jackie Burch's remarkable career spanned more than four decades, during which she helped shape some of Hollywood's most iconic films. From classic 1980s hits like The Breakfast Club and Die Hard to major modern blockbusters such as Iron Man 3 and Hidden Figures, her casting choices have made a remarkable dent in the film industry.

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