Gary Cosay

Gary Cosay died on October 5, 2026, at his home in Carmel, California, at the age of 92. No cause of death has been made public. His death was reported on October 14, 2026, by Variety, citing United Talent Agency.

UTA vice chairman Jay Sures said Cosay was a true original whose integrity and contributions left a lasting mark, calling him a fierce advocate for writers who also taught younger agents the craft of success. The agency said it would miss him dearly. Per Cosay's wishes, there was no public memorial service.

Public details of Gary Cosay's childhood and education have not been widely published. What is known of his professional start places him in New York in the late 1960s as an assistant at the William Morris Agency. After advancing there, he relocated to the West Coast in 1973 to join Creative Management Associates, then a major talent agency. Two years later he left CMA to form his own shop, Cosay, Werner and Associates, beginning the independent path that would lead to United Talent Agency.

In 1982 Cosay merged his practice with literary agents Jim Berkus and Robert Stein as Berkus-Cosay-Stein. In October 1983 that firm combined with the Robert Littman Co. to form Leading Artists, where Cosay was a senior partner with Berkus. In early 1991 Leading Artists merged with Bauer-Benedek to create United Talent Agency. Cosay's standing in television literary representation helped establish the young agency as a home for promising and established writers.

He represented key writer-producers behind influential 1980s and 1990s series including Married... with Children, The Wonder Years, Growing Pains and The Drew Carey Show. His experience guided clients and younger agents in developing hits that generated substantial syndication and packaging revenue. He sat among UTA's founding partners and remained associated with the agency as a mentor after stepping back from day-to-day work.

Cosay is survived by his wife, Healy. In later years he was active in animal rescue, saving many dogs, including greyhounds bred for racing. At his direction, there was no public memorial service. Family and friends asked that donations in his memory be made to the SPCA of Monterey County. Further details about his education and extended family have not been widely reported.

Cosay is remembered as one of the builders of modern United Talent Agency and as a champion of television writers during the era when the showrunner model took hold. The sitcoms associated with his clients helped define network comedy for a generation, and the packaging and syndication practices he taught younger agents remain part of Hollywood's business vocabulary. Colleagues at UTA continue to cite his mentorship as part of the agency's culture.