James Toback’s Agent No Longer Representing Him

James Toback is no longer being represented by his agent Jeff Berg, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. 

Berg is the chairman of Northside Services; the agency represents directors Roman Polanski and Paul Schrader. (Berg previously was ICM chief before launching his own agency, Resolution, which folded in 2014 after less than two years.)

Berg confirmed to THR he no longer represents Toback but did not say when the representation ended.

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported that 38 women had come forward to accuse Toback of sexual harassment and misconduct, allegations that span decades. 

Toback, who helmed the films Black and White (1999) and Two Girls and a Guy (1998) and was nominated for an Oscar for writing the Warren Beatty film Bugsy (1991), used his status as a director to lure the women into auditions, meetings and interviews that would quickly turn sexual, according to the Times report.

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Toback, 72, denied the allegations by the women, 31 of whom went on the record with their accusations to the Times, saying that he had never met any of these women, and if he had, “it was for five minutes.” He also claimed it was “biologically impossible” for him to engage in the behavior described, saying he had diabetes and a heart condition that required medication.

Many of the women’s accounts describe similar circumstances, with Toback luring a young or aspiring actress into a meeting and then proceeding to use very graphic sexual language under the guise of describing a role or film before engaging in some sort of masturbation.

Toback’s first notable film was 1987’s The Pick-up Artist, starring Robert Downey Jr., who would go on to star in two other films written and directed by Toback. His most recent film, The Private Life of a Modern Woman, starring Sienna Miller, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September.

Polanski, Berg’s most high-profile client, is again under scrutiny following the bombshell New York Times and New Yorker reports alleging decades of sexual harassment and assault by producer Harvey Weinstein and subsequently the Los Angeles Times report on Toback. 

Last week, artist Marianne Barnard came forward with allegations that Polanski molested her when she was 10 years old. The alleged incident took place in 1975, two years before the director fled the United States after pleading guilty to statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.