Chris Nassif, a longtime talent agent and producer, passed away on July 6th. The cause of death is unknown at this time. He was 62.
Dr. Paul Nassif, a plastic surgeon featured on E!’s Botched, wrote on Twitter that his older brother’s death “was an unexpected and tragic event.”
The elder Nassif opened CNA and Associates Talent Agency in 1983, shortly after graduating from USC. At CNA he helped Luke Perry, Ricky Martin and Jay Hernandez launch their acting careers, negotiating Perry’s deal for Beverly Hills, 90210. The agency also represented Michael Rapaport, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon and Robert Forster.
In 2000, CNA merged with Premiere Artists Talent Agency to form Diverse Talent Group. DTG helped launch Chrissy Metz, James Van Der Beek, Michael Wetherly and Austin Butler. Nassif represented Kunal Nayar, Josh Holloway and Martin Landau.
Nassif had more cenetly partnered with Richard Brandes to form Insurrection Entertainment, which has a distribution deal with Cinedigm. In the last few years, some of the films Nassif and Brandes produced were Jeepers Creepers 3, Who Stole My Daughter, American Federale and Monster Mutt.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Robin Nassif, and sons Chris Nassif Jr. and Ryan Nassif, as well as his sister Alexis Nassif and brother Paul.