Stuart Witt Dies: CBS News Executive And Talent Agent Was 84

Stuart Witt, CBS News Executive and talent agent, died December 6 after complications from Parkinson’s disease, Deadline has confirmed. He was 84.

Witt was born and raised in Brooklyn. He graduated from James Madison High School where he played baseball and pitched against Sandy Koufax. He went on to attend Indiana University and then served as a Communications Officer in an Infantry Battalion of the USMC from 1958 to 1961. He was stationed in Okinawa.

After earning his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, he worked as an entertainment lawyer and for CBS News in London for 10 years. In 1979, his career in entertainment took him to N.S. Bienstock where he was as a talent agent. He was integral to the success of the agency where he was an for broadcast journalists where he worked until his retirement in 2004. His clients included John Blackstone, Arthur Kent, Mike Leonard, Mark Potter, Richard Roth, Sue Herera, Tom Fenton, Sir Howard Stringer, and others. UTA acquired N.S. Bienstock in 2014 to build out their News & Broadcast division.

Witt was known for fighting hard for his clients, many of whom became close friends. Outside of work he was an animal rights activist and a dedicated marathon runner Witt is survived by his wife Terry Benes, his daughter Jennifer Witt Matorin, his son-in-law Andrew Matorin and his granddaughter Marley.

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