WESTWOOD—In Hollywood managers, agents and publicists are the keepers of the stars’ greatest secrets. It is often said that major stars never forget that their managers and agents knew them before they were famous and publicists keep the secrets of stars hidden from the media. At least that was the truth in the era of the golden age of Hollywood when Budd Burton Moss began his career as a Hollywood agent, and now he’s known to all entertainment insiders as a maverick, who has managed and fought for the livelihoods of many of the biggest stars today.
Long before most of today’s A-list actors were famous, a manager guided their choices in film and TV roles, often changing their hairstyles or telling them what parties to attend and what premieres to show up to. “Perhaps you can meet the hottest director out there today, or a producer who is about to cast a major film and one of my clients is perfect for the role, but they don’t have the name recognition to get an audition,” said Moss. “That’s what I contend with and it’s what I love to do. I would never have chosen another path, as I’ve represented some of the biggest stars and some of the most talented people, who may not have become huge stars, but they work regularly.” Before Tom Cruise was a name in Tinseltown, he was one of Moss’s clients. He’s witnessed some of the greatest rises in popularity and seen some devastation in its wake.
When friend Ronald Reagan became President of the United States in 1980, Moss was one of the Hollywood crowd that knew him long before he was a household name. Reagan had dated Moss’s first wife Ruth Roman and Moss had represented Reagan’s daughter Maureen previously. “He was a gentleman, someone everyone knew was destined to do bigger things, even if we didn’t realize it would mean he’d become an occupant in the White House,” said Budd. Friends over the decades with Academy Award® winning actor Sidney Poitier, Moss still has the weekly luncheon and meeting with his clients even if they are perhaps semi-retired. He also is one of Larry King’s best friends. Those of us who have had the honor of knowing Budd realize he’s a gem, a gentleman and a fighter in the industry. “Sure, I grew up seeing it all from the inside. My uncle was a producer at MGM in the early days, and I grew up watching my father edit film at Universal and then later I also worked in some films at that studio,” stated the manager.
There is one subject and one star’s name that brings pride but also some sadness into the handsome icon’s eyes. “Rita Hayworth I knew and worked with at a time when she was dealing with the early onset of Alzheimer’s. It was a difficult time, none of us knew what was the matter with her, but realized that she was changing. She’d been the most beautiful woman on screen and was still lovely, but a shadow of herself mentally and emotionally and we didn’t know it was the dreaded disease,” said Moss. “Another beauty I worked with and knew very well was Cyd Charisse. She was indeed a great person and super talented.”
Moss becomes not only personally acquainted with stars that he has represented, but a close friend as well. Tom Bosley, who starred as Mr. Cunningham in “Happy Days” was a longtime client and friend. “He wasn’t always the easiest guy to get along with, but we had mutual respect. I really enjoyed the trip to Italy with my family, When I ran into Fred Silverman in Venice, we discussed and made an agreement to land Bosley the role in his last big series ”˜Father Dowling Mysteries’ on CBS,” said Budd.
What may surprise and garner the attention of Hollywood insiders and fans of some of Hollywood’s biggest names is that the star maker is in the process of completing his official biography with famed celebrity ghost writer Julie McCarron. Moss’s collection of stories of some of the best kept secrets in Hollywood is one of the most anticipated tomes in the history of publishing. Everyone is clamoring for the details of the book. I have been given a sneak peek, and can verify that it’s a page turner. From love affairs, three Oscar nominations for clients he’s represented, one even overdosing on pills the night before the awards show, and a major soap star, that has created a mystique around herself, readers of his biography might be shocked to know some of the star’s biggest secrets.
Like everything Moss has touched, the book has the Midas touch with a great deal of class and dignity. Longtime friend, the late Jack Valenti is discussed, and a great deal more. When is this book coming to stores? Stay tuned.
Photographs are Courtesy: Budd Moss’s Private Collection
