Jay Moloney
{{Short description|American Hollywood talent agent (1964–1999)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jay Moloney
| image = Jay Moloney.jpg
| caption =
| birth_name = James David Moloney{{cite web |author=Christopher Reed |title=Jay Moloney Obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/nov/30/guardianobituaries3 |work=The Guardian | date = 30 November 1999 |accessdate=11 November 2019}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1964|11|14}}
| birth_place = Malibu, California, U.S.{{cite news |title= Paid Notice: Deaths Moloney, Jay |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/19/classified/paid-notice-deaths-moloney-jay.html |newspaper=New York Times|date=1999-11-19 }}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|11|16|1964|11|14}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| nationality = American
| education = University of Southern California
| occupation = Talent agent
| employer = Creative Artists Agency
}}
James David "Jay" Moloney (November 14, 1964 – November 16, 1999) was an American Hollywood talent agent. Moloney was a top Creative Artists Agency (CAA) agent and a protégé of CAA founder Michael Ovitz.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsweek.com/last-days-jay-moloney-164434|title=The Last Days Of Jay Moloney|date=1999-11-28|work=Newsweek|access-date=2018-11-17|language=en}} He died by suicide at age 35.{{Cite news|url=https://people.com/archive/death-in-the-fast-lane-vol-52-no-22/|title=Death in the Fast Lane|last=Smith|first=Kyle|date=1999-12-06|website=people.com|access-date=2018-11-18|language=en}}
Early life and education
Moloney grew up in Southern California, but moved to Newport, Oregon with his mother at age 14. His father, Jim Moloney, was a Hollywood screenwriter who died in 1994. He was of Irish and Jewish descent.{{cite magazine|first=Stephen |last=Galloway|title=Moving Tribute To Jay Moloney|magazine=Backstage|date=February 20, 2001|quote=Referring to Moloney's Jewish and Irish roots, he said, "He is the answer to the riddle: What do you get when you (mix) a leprechaun with David Begelman?"}}
Career
Moloney joined Creative Artists Agency (CAA) as an intern in June 1983 while attending USC. He later dropped out of college at the age of 20. He quickly became a protege of Michael Ovitz, the founder of CAA. By the age of 21, Moloney was part of CAA's "Young Turks", along with David O'Connor, Kevin Huvane, Richard Lovett and Bryan Lourd, who as a group would go on to lead CAA after Ovitz's departure. At the peak of his career, he handled Hollywood stars including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, David Letterman, Uma Thurman, and Leonardo DiCaprio.{{Cite news|url=http://proquest.com|title=Top Hollywood agent failed to break cocaine addiction" Once counted Steven Spielberg and Dustin Hoffman among his clients|last=Reed|first=Christopher|date=1999-12-01|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=2019-12-28|page=13|id={{ProQuest| }}}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/17/us/a-hollywood-agent-who-rose-and-fell-fast-is-found-dead.html|title=A Hollywood Agent Who Rose And Fell Fast Is Found Dead|last=Weinraub|first=Bernard|date=1999-11-17|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-11-17|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/columns/hollywood/1586/|title=Wasted|last=Finke|first=Nikki|date=1999-11-29|website=New York Magazine|language=en|access-date=2019-04-24}}
After Ovitz left CAA for Disney, Moloney was named managing director. Due to an addiction to cocaine that started in 1995, Moloney was unable to perform on the job, and was later forced out of CAA. His career fall was documented in the media.{{Cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=310EAAAAMBAJ|title=LA Raw: Lies, Damned Lies|last=Johnson|first=Ross|date=September 1996|work=Los Angeles Magazine|access-date=2019-12-28}} In 1999, he joined Paradise Music & Entertainment, but his contract was terminated due to his frequent absences.
Personal life
He chose to have open-heart surgery which he was aware he would eventually need to correct a congenital defect, but opted to have it done early believing that during recovery from surgery he would never opt to use cocaine. A “friend” who will remain anonymous brought him a gift basket containing two cartons of Marlboro Reds and a half gallon of Jack Daniel. The staff and doctors did not remove the care package and it was the first thing Jay saw when he woke up following surgery.
Moloney was a rising star inside CAA even at a young age, and became the protégé of Michael Ovitz, the founder of CAA. He felt abandoned when Ovitz left CAA for Disney. His drug and alcohol problem got worse during this time, which was shortly after the death of his alcoholic father, from whom he had been estranged.{{Cite news|url=|title=Moloney's Road to Ruin Is Well-Traveled Path in Hollywood|last=Eller|first=Claudia|date=1999-11-19|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=|id={{ProQuest| }}}}
Moloney dated several actresses including Jennifer Grey, Sherilyn Fenn, and Gina Gershon. Moloney was described by many as handsome, charming, and affable.{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/superstar-agent-dead-at-35-1117758135/|title=Superstar agent dead at 35: Moloney was once one of biz's best and brightest|last1=Petrkin|first1=Chris|date=1999-11-16|work=Variety|access-date=2019-04-24|last2=Fleming|first2=Michael}}
Death and legacy
He died by suicide by hanging himself two days after he turned 35 on November 16, 1999. He was found in his shower by Ben Taylor who had been staying in his guest house. {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZMpXAgAAQBAJ|title=The importance of being famous : behind the scenes of the celebrity-industrial complex.|last=Orth|first=Maureen|publisher=Henry Holt & Company|year=2004|isbn=978-1-4668-6423-8|location=New York|oclc=869543218}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/1999/nov/21/focus.news|title=Focus: America's victims of success: Tinseltown lifestyle kills a high-flyer |last=Campbell |first=Duncan |date=November 20, 1999 |work=The Observer|access-date=September 21, 2023}}
Danny Huston played a character inspired by Moloney in Bernard Rose's film Ivans Xtc.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/jul/13/features.steverose|title=The Guide: Film: Huston, he has a problem |last=Rose|first=Steve|date=July 13, 2002 |work=The Guardian|access-date=September 21, 2023}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/jul/12/artsfeatures |title=Friday review: Ivan the Terrible |last=Rose |first=Steve |date=July 12, 2002 |work=The Guardian |access-date=September 21, 2023}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/jun/23/foodanddrink |title=Review: Arts: Screen: To live and die in LA: Bernard Rose went from music videos to directing a big-budget fantasy movie |last=Rayner |first=Jay |date=June 23, 2002 |work=The Observer|access-date=September 21, 2023}}
Shortly after his death, his mother Carole Johnson was diagnosed with Cancer and 9 months after her son’s death she was buried in the same resting place as Jay at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Jay is survived by his two brothers from his fathers first marriage, Sean Moloney and Darren Moloney who both reside in Los Angeles.
References
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Category:American talent agents
Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople
Category:Suicides by hanging in California
Category:People from Malibu, California
Category:People from Newport, Oregon
Category:University of Southern California alumni
Category:American people of Irish descent