Teri Hayden Dies: Irish Talent Agent, Who Launched Gabriel Byrne and Brendan Gleeson’s Onscreen Careers, Was 75

Teri Hayden, a trailblazing talent agent whose work in early 1980s Ireland helped launch the onscreen careers of Gabriel Byrne and Brendan Gleeson, as well as his son Domhnall Gleeson, died April 18 after a long illness. She was 75.

Byrne’s current agent, John Maybee of Paradigm, shared the news of Hayden’s death with Deadline.

After noticing the demand for actors’ representation in Ireland more than 40 years ago, according to Maybee she “became Ireland’s premier agent and rapidly won respect and recognition in a then mostly male preserve.

“Never one to seek the limelight, she was however a fearless negotiator, determined to secure the best possible deal for her clients,” continued Maybee. “She was also responsible for anonymously brokering projects even when she had no stake in the production. … Teri was inordinately proud of her profession and regarded it as a privilege to represent her Irish actors both at home and abroad.”

Last year, Brendan Gleeson dedicated his IFTA win for Supporting Actor in The Banshees of Inisherin to Hayden, “who has led me through this minefield of a profession that we embrace for years and years.”

Hayden was described by those who knew her privately as “marvelous company with a mischievous sense of humor and the most loyal of friends.”

Added Maybee, “Teri confided just weeks before passing that she’d had a blessed life and was grateful for its blessings as well as its ups & downs. She believed that gratitude brings contentment and an acceptance of life’s uncertainties.”

Born April 26, 1948 in Derry, Ireland, Hayden (née O’Connor) studied economics and finance at Manchester University before working at RTE, Ireland’s national TV station based in Dublin.

Teri was married to Hilliard Hayden for 13 years, sharing son Karl and daughter Lisa. After they split, she married writer, producer and CEO Brian Palfrey, with whom she recently celebrated her 42nd anniversary.

Hayden is survived by her husband and children, as well as her five grandchildren. Karl, who worked alongside his mother for 23 years at Dublin’s The Agency, now serves as the company’s director.

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