Trailblazing Talent Agent Teri Hayden Passes Away at 75

by Pooja Chauhan · 03/06/2024

Teri Hayden, a pioneering talent agent whose work in early 1980s Ireland helped launch the onscreen careers of Gabriel Byrne and Brendan Gleeson, along with his son Domhnall Gleeson, passed away on April 18 after a prolonged illness. She was 75.

John Maybee of Paradigm, Byrne’s current agent, informed Deadline of Hayden’s passing.

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

“Never one to seek the limelight, she was however a fearless negotiator, determined to secure the best possible deal for her clients,” Maybee continued. “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.”

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

“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,” added Maybee.

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.

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

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