Alfred Louis Onorato Dies; Casting Society co-founder Was 88

Alfred Louis Onorato, a former talent manager who co-founded the Casting Society of America, died April 21. He was 88.

“Casting Society mourns the passing of Al Onorato, whose passion and dedication and love for casting was pivotal in co-founding our organization in 1982,” the org said in a statement. “Al helped build what CSA is today – a global organization with over 1200 members and a resource for the entertainment industry worldwide. We will miss Al’s talent, spirit and most of all, his friendship. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”   

Onorato was born in Jersey City, NJ. After graduating from Fairleigh Dickinson University, his first job was as a page at NBC Studios in New York City.  A few years later, he followed his beloved Dodgers to L.A. where became involved in the industry. He worked for the major studios in casting for movies and TV, before he went on to create the Casting Society of America with Mike Fenton and Joe Reich.

Later, Onorato chose to work as a talent manager so he could focus on doing what he loved – advising and mentoring promising actors. He launched the careers of Mark Harmon, Katie Holmes, Kristin Chenoweth, Sean Murray, Elijah Wood and was instrumental in bringing Gwen Verdon back to the industry.

He won the Artios Award for casting the 1987 comedy Bagdad Café and was honored at the 34th Annual Artios Awards for his lifetime contributions to casting.

A celebration of life is planned for May 18 at 1 p.m. PT at Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, the family suggests donations be made in Onorato’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Onorato is survived by his siblings Edward Onorato, Ronald Onorato, and Veronica Onorato Szallai, along with several nephews and a niece.