Central Casting
An American casting company specializing in background actors, body doubles, and stand-ins for film and television productions.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Central Casting is an American entertainment-services company focused on supplying background actors, body doubles, stand-ins, and other supporting on-camera personnel for film, television, and commercial productions. Established in Los Angeles in 1925, it was created during a period when Hollywood's rapid expansion attracted large numbers of people seeking work as extras, while hiring practices remained informal and vulnerable to exploitation. The organization was designed to centralize registration and placement, reduce improper fees charged by private employment agencies, support lawful payment practices, and provide producers with a more organized way to find qualified background performers. The company began operations in January 1926 after Will H. Hays commissioned studies of employment conditions in Hollywood and adopted recommendations associated with sociologist Mary van Kleeck. Fred Beetson was appointed its first president. For many years, Central Casting served as a principal gateway to extra work in Hollywood. During its first six months, it registered more than 18,000 people and made more than 100,000 placements, according to historical accounts. Its applicant pool included aspiring performers who later became prominent actors, including Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Gary Cooper, although the agency's central function remained the provision of background talent rather than the discovery or representation of leading stars. Central Casting became part of the infrastructure of large-scale American production. Its work included matching performers to physical characteristics, wardrobe requirements, period settings, crowd scenes, specialty roles, and continuity needs. The organization also became associated with the changing terminology of the profession: people once commonly called extras increasingly came to be described as background actors. During the 1940s, the Los Angeles operation handled very high call volumes, including thousands of telephone inquiries in a single hour, despite a decline in registration during World War II. The agency's ownership changed in 1976, when the Motion Picture Association of America sold it to Production Payment, a subsidiary of Talent & Residuals. In 1991, a corporate merger involving International Digitronics Corporation and Draney Information Services Corporation brought Central Casting together with Richmar Casting within the newly formed Entertainment Partners. Around that transition, the company modernized its casting systems, improving the ability of casting professionals to search a large registered database. In the twenty-first century, Central Casting expanded beyond Los Angeles. Its New York office opened in Manhattan in 2006 and later moved to a location in 5 Pennsylvania Plaza. A Louisiana operation opened in New Orleans in 2014 after the company had cast thousands of background performers for Jurassic World. The first television project associated with that office was The Astronauts Wives Club. Central Casting Georgia opened in Atlanta in 2016 after on-location background casting connected with American Made. These regional offices reflect the geographic spread of major film and television production in the United States. Central Casting's present role is that of a specialized production-services provider rather than a conventional talent-management agency. It helps productions locate and coordinate background performers and related personnel, while maintaining registration and casting operations in major production centers. The phrase “straight out of central casting,” now used in popular speech to describe someone who appears to fit a recognizable stereotype, derives from the company's long-standing association with selecting people for screen roles and types.
History
Central Casting emerged from the rapid growth of Hollywood during the early 1920s. As film production expanded, thousands of people arrived in Los Angeles hoping to work as extras. At the time, aspiring performers often waited outside studio gates for possible same-day hiring. The absence of consistent regulation created opportunities for exploitative intermediaries and made employment uncertain. Will H. Hays, then a leading figure in the motion-picture industry, commissioned studies into Hollywood employment conditions. One study was conducted by Mary van Kleeck, a sociologist associated with the Russell Sage Foundation. Among the proposed remedies was the creation of a centralized system for registering and placing extras. Hays and the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America established the Central Casting Bureau on December 4, 1925. Its stated objectives included eliminating excessive private-agency fees, encouraging lawful payment, reducing the uncontrolled migration of people seeking extra work, and creating steadier access to jobs for qualified performers. Hays appointed Fred Beetson as president, and the organization opened on January 25, 1926, in the Hollywood & Western Building. It quickly became a dominant channel for background work. Historical accounts state that more than 18,000 extras registered during its first six months and that the agency made 113,873 placements. The system also provided an early professional foothold for performers who later became famous, including Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Gary Cooper. The Los Angeles office continued to operate as the industry's scale increased. During World War II, registration fell, but demand for information remained substantial. In 1944, separate telephone lines for men and women handled extremely heavy call volumes, reportedly reaching as many as 4,000 calls per hour. Over time, the people supplied by the organization increasingly adopted the term background actors rather than extras, reflecting the broader professionalization of supporting on-camera work. Central Casting's ownership changed in 1976, when the Motion Picture Association of America sold the business to Production Payment, a Talent & Residuals subsidiary. In 1991, International Digitronics Corporation merged with Draney Information Services Corporation. Central Casting and Richmar Casting were subsequently combined within Entertainment Partners. This transition was accompanied by changes to the company's casting technology, including an overhaul that made it easier for casting directors to search a database containing approximately 15,000 registered extras at the time. The company later developed a regional footprint in production centers outside Los Angeles. Central Casting New York opened in Manhattan in April 2006 and worked on projects including Law & Order and Spider-Man 2. The office moved to the tenth floor of 5 Pennsylvania Plaza in April 2018. Central Casting Louisiana opened in Benson Tower in New Orleans on September 23, 2014, following extensive background casting for Jurassic World; its first television casting project was The Astronauts Wives Club. Central Casting Georgia opened in Atlanta in 2016 after location-based background casting for American Made. Today, Central Casting operates as a specialized casting-services business associated with Entertainment Partners. Its work centers on finding and coordinating background actors, body doubles, stand-ins, and other performers needed to populate scenes and meet production-specific physical, wardrobe, period, and continuity requirements. Its historical importance also extends into popular language: the expression “straight out of central casting” is used for a person who appears to conform strongly to a familiar type or stereotype.
- 2018
New York office relocates
[1]The Manhattan operation moves to the tenth floor of 5 Pennsylvania Plaza.
- 2016
Georgia office opens
[1]Central Casting launches an Atlanta office after location casting connected with American Made.
- 2014
Louisiana office opens
[1]The company opens a New Orleans office in Benson Tower after casting background performers for Jurassic World.
- 2006
New York office opens
[1]Central Casting establishes a Manhattan operation to serve productions in the New York market.
- 1991
Integration into Entertainment Partners
[1]Following a corporate merger, Central Casting and Richmar Casting become part of Entertainment Partners, alongside improvements to its digital casting system.
- 1976
Private ownership begins
[1]The Motion Picture Association of America sells Central Casting to Production Payment, a subsidiary of Talent & Residuals.
- 1944
High-volume telephone casting era
[1]The Los Angeles operation introduces separate telephone lines for men and women as demand for extra work inquiries reaches exceptional levels.
- 1926
Hollywood operations begin
[1]The first office opens in the Hollywood & Western Building under president Fred Beetson.
- 1925
Central Casting Bureau is formally established
[1]Will H. Hays and the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America establish the organization to regulate the hiring and placement of film extras in Hollywood.
Products and positioning
A specialized American casting-services provider for background performers and other supporting on-camera roles.
Casting service · 1925
Background actor casting
Central Casting's core service is the registration, selection, and placement of background actors for film and television productions. Its database and local offices help production teams find people suited to crowd scenes, period settings, workplace environments, social scenes, and other visual requirements. The service is designed for supporting performers who contribute to the realism, scale, and continuity of a production rather than occupy principal speaking roles.
Casting service
Body-double casting
The company supplies body doubles and related specialty performers when a production requires a performer with a particular physical resemblance, build, or movement profile. Such casting can support shots that do not show a principal actor's face, help maintain visual continuity, or reduce the need for a lead performer to undertake every physical setup.
Casting service
Stand-in casting
Stand-in casting provides performers who substitute for principal actors during lighting, camera, and technical preparations. These performers generally need to match relevant physical characteristics and help crews establish focus, exposure, framing, and blocking before the principal cast arrives.
Recent events
- 2018
Central Casting New York relocates to 5 Pennsylvania Plaza[1]
Other
The New York operation moved to a new office on the tenth floor of 5 Pennsylvania Plaza in Manhattan.
- 2016
Central Casting Georgia opens in Atlanta[1]
Other
The Atlanta office opened following on-location background casting associated with American Made.
- 2014
Central Casting Louisiana opens in New Orleans[1]
Other
A New Orleans office opened after Central Casting handled extensive background casting for Jurassic World.
- 2006
Central Casting New York opens[1]
Other
The company opened a Manhattan office to serve New York productions, with early projects including Law & Order and Spider-Man 2.
- 1991
Central Casting becomes part of Entertainment Partners[1]
M&A
A corporate merger involving International Digitronics Corporation and Draney Information Services Corporation brought Central Casting together with Richmar Casting under Entertainment Partners.
- 1976
Central Casting is sold to Production Payment[1]
M&A
The Motion Picture Association of America sold Central Casting to Production Payment, a subsidiary of Talent & Residuals, ending its period of industry-association ownership.
- 1926
Central Casting begins operations in Hollywood[1]
Other
The agency opened its Hollywood office under president Fred Beetson and became a central source of extra placements.
- 1925
Central Casting is established in Los Angeles[1]
Other
The Central Casting Bureau was formally established to organize the hiring of film extras and address exploitation and irregular employment practices.
Sources1 sources
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