Andrea Eastman has died at 86 after speaking about medical aid in dying in her final months.
The legendary casting director, who helped shape “The Godfather” and spent decades as a Hollywood agent and manager, passed away Wednesday at her home in Santa Barbara, a family spokesperson confirmed Thursday. She was 86.
Sources close to Eastman said she had alluded to California’s End of Life Option Act in the months before her death. The law allows mentally capable, terminally ill adults to obtain aid-in-dying medication.
“She mentioned it, but it was like a cup of coffee. She said it in such a nonchalant a way, but she was seriously conisidering [medical aid in dying],” a source who had seen her recently at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel recounted. They added that Eastman’s spirit “seemed up,” despite the changes in her life.
The same source said that although Eastman had experienced health challenges in recent years, “it was still shocking to receive a phone call about her death [in the late night hours Thursday morning.” A spokesperson declined to comment on her cause of death.
Other sources confirmed Eastman’s health struggles included open heart surgery six years ago. The procedure led to a three-month recovery stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2020.
In 2022, Eastman entrusted author Susan McCauley to document her experience in “Trooper at the Beverly Hills Hotel,” a children’s book about how her golden retriever helped her heal during that recovery.
“I’ve had dogs forever and they’ve all been amazing dogs, but there was something very special about Trooper,” Eastman told Montana newspaper Explore Big Sky in 2023. “I know for a fact I never would have healed so well and so quickly without the love of this dog.”
In the viral moment that made her a Hollywood powerhouse, Eastman was credited with discovering “Charlie’s Angels” star Jaclyn Smith, connecting Steven Spielberg with Roy Scheider for “Jaws,” and helping client Billy Crystal land his role in the 1989 classic “When Harry Met Sally.” She also served as an executive at Paramount and managed a roster of major stars including Sylvester Stallone, Barbra Streisand, Katherine Heigl, Katie Couric, Dustin Hoffman, Brenda Vaccaro, Richard Gere and Tony Danza.
Eastman celebrated her final birthday in June with a Zoom party that drew former clients including Heigl, Couric, Danza, Crystal, Marla Maples and Dyan Cannon.