Richard Leibner, a pioneering talent agent who represented such notable broadcast news journalists as Dan Rather, Diane Sawyer, Mike Wallace, Andy Rooney, Norah O’Donnell, Ed Bradley, Morley Safer and Fareed Zakaria, died today at his home in New York City. He was 85.
His death was announced by UTA vice chairman Jay Sures in a memo to staffers obtained by Deadline.
Leibner began his agency career in the 1960s as co-founder, with Nate Bienstock, of the New York-based firm N.S. Bienstock, which was acquired by UTA in 2014. Leibner retired in 2021.
“Richard will be remembered as the agent who transformed the news business,” Sures wrote in the memo. “Decades ago, he made it his personal mission to see that big name news stars should be treated and compensated like traditional movie and television stars. Over the years, he signed and represented some of the best and brightest and most iconic names including Dan Rather, Mike Wallace, Bob Simon, Steve Kroft, Bill Whitaker, Diane Sawyer, Chuck Scarborough, Paula Zahn, Brian Stelter, Fareed Zakaria, and many others.”
Leibner, who was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 2018, was born in Brooklyn and graduated from the University of Rochester and New York University before joining his father’s New York City accounting firm in 1964. “After working for his family’s accounting firm for a few years, he co-founded N.S. Bienstock with his former partner, Nate Bienstock, and together they built the premier powerhouse agency in news and broadcast talent representation,” Sures wrote.
Leibner’s wife, Carole Cooper, joined Bienstock in 1976 and continues working as an agent for UTA. She survives him, as do sons Adam (a UTA TV Broadcast partner) and Jonathan. The family was at his side when he died peacefully at home.
Funeral services will be announced shortly.