Barbara Dreyfus, a veteran agent who 16 months ago joined filmmaker Will Packer as head of motion pictures for his production company, has died, the company confirmed Friday.
Details of her death were not immediately available.
At Will Packer Productions, Dreyfus was responsible for developing comedy and drama projects through the company’s first-look deal with Universal Pictures. She was hired in January 2014.
“Barbara had an amazing spirit and passion for her family and her career,” Packer, who produced the 2014 Kevin Hart–Ice Cube comedy Ride Along, said in a statement. “She will be missed for her creativity and fearlessness as an executive, but more importantly for her incredibly giving nature as a person.”
Earlier, Dreyfus had spent 13 years at UTA, starting at the agency in 2001 and most recently serving as a senior agent in the motion picture literary department.
“Barbara Dreyfus was a tremendous colleague, agent and friend,” UTA said in a statement. “We were lucky to have her as part of the UTA family for so many years. Her passionate representation, warm heart and infectious laughter filled the halls here and made every day a bit more enjoyable. She will be missed by us all.”
Dreyfus started out in the agency business with a job in the legal department at William Morris, then moved to InterTalent, where she trained under Bill Block. Her next eight years were spent at ICM.
Raised in New York City, Dreyfus earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern’s undergraduate film school.
Survivors include her two children.
