Andrea Eastman, a pioneering Hollywood casting director and longtime ICM agent, has died aged 86. She was influential in discovering and championing emerging performers, most notably helping to shape the cast of The Godfather, including supporting Al Pacino’s selection despite Paramount’s reservations and securing James Caan as Sonny Corleone.

Eastman first gained attention after casting model Ali MacGraw in 1969’s Goodbye, Columbus, a low-budget hit that earned more than $10.5 million, before reuniting her with Ryan O’Neal in Love Story. That film grossed more than $170 million worldwide and received seven Oscar nominations; Eastman later moved into agency work after leaving Paramount, representing clients including Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss, Peter Boyle and Catherine Ross.