Disney Entertainment Television Head of Casting Sharon Klein To Receive Honor at Casting Society’s 39th Artios Awards

Casting Society (CSA) announced today that Sharon Klein, head of Casting, Disney Entertainment Television, will be presented with The Hoyt Bowers Award at the 39th Annual Artios Awards. The award is for excellence in casting and honors the recipient’s body of work and outstanding contribution to the casting profession. It will be presented during the ceremony on Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Los Angeles at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.

“Sharon’s achievements in our industry and in the casting community are unmatched. Her ability to spotlight creativity and talent have not only elevated productions, but have also set a new standard for excellence in the world of entertainment. We are thrilled to honor her with the Hoyt Bowers Award,” said Destiny Lilly, CSA President.

“I am tremendously grateful to the Casting Society for this incredible honor. I’ve always considered my work in casting to be an extreme privilege, as it has allowed me to work alongside the most creative and brilliant minds in television, while giving me a front-row seat to some of the best performances of our generation. Discovering talent and pulling together award-winning ensembles with my unbelievably talented team has never felt like ‘work,’ which makes receiving the legendary Hoyt Bowers Award that much sweeter,” said Klein.

In her Disney Entertainment Television role, Klein leads the casting teams of 20th Television, 20th Television Animation, ABC Entertainment, ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, Hulu Originals, Freeform, Onyx Collective and Walt Disney Television Alternative.  She is responsible for the casting of all series and pilots, identifying talent for holding deals, and spearheading casting and talent strategy for the numerous entities now under her purview.

Most recently, Klein and her team led the search for a trio of fresh young stars – Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri – for the hit series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”; added Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd to the star-studded cast of “Only Murders in the Building”; and cast Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Calista Flockhart and Demi Moore as the Manhattan socialites at the center of “FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans.” Casting on upcoming series includes “High Potential” starring Kaitlin Olson for ABC, “Under The Bridge” starring Riley Keough for Hulu, “Tracker” starring Justin Hartley for CBS, and the Untitled Erin Foster comedy starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody for Netflix.

Previously, Klein served as EVP, Casting, Disney Television Studios and FX Entertainment, and oversaw casting on such recent successes as “Dopesick,” “The Dropout” “Little Fires Everywhere” and “Only Murders in the Building” for Hulu; “Feud,” “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” “Genius: Aretha,” “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” “Mrs. America” and “The Old Man” for FX; “UnPrisoned” for Onyx Collective; “Big Sky” and “The Rookie: Feds” for ABC; as well as “American Born Chinese” and “National Treasure: Edge of History” for Disney+; and “Bad Sisters” and “The Last Thing He Told Me” for Apple TV+.

An Emmy^® Award-winning casting director, Klein led the former 20th Century Fox Television’s casting team for two decades, assembling the ensembles of projects like “9-1-1” and “9-1-1: Lone Star,” “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” “Empire,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “Fosse/Verdon,” “Glee,” “Homeland,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Modern Family,” “New Girl,” “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story,” “Pose” and “This Is Us,” and among dozens of other series. She worked with such creative talents as Lee Daniels, Dan Fogelman, Erin and Sara Foster, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Brian Grazer, Liz Heldens, Ron Howard, Jenni Konner, Thomas Kail, Steve Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Seth MacFarlane, Liz Meriwether, Raamla Mohamed, Ryan Murphy, Liz Tigelaar and countless others as the studio’s chief casting executive since 2001.

Prior to joining the studio, Klein served as an independent casting director and won an Emmy for casting the HBO miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon.” Klein is a graduate of Brandeis University and a native of New York.

First held in 1985, the Artios Awards honors Casting Professionals in more than 20 different categories encompassing film, television (scripted and unscripted), commercials and theatre. In addition, special honorees are selected for their contributions to the craft. Nominees and winners are voted on by members of Casting Society.

ABOUT CASTING SOCIETY: 

Casting Society was founded in February of 1982 with the intention of establishing a recognized standard of professionalism in the casting field and providing its members with a support organization to further their goals and protect their common interests. Casting Society currently boasts close to 1,200 members. Casting Society casting professionals work around the world, with members based in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. Casting Society is a global resource for producers, directors and creative teams seeking casting professionals while promoting the image of casting directors and associate casting directors/casting producers worldwide, engaging in a number of charitable activities and supporting its members by sharing important and helpful professional information. For more information on Casting Society, please visit CastingSociety.com.