Roger Vorce, who learned the agency business at MCA under Lew Wasserman and who co-founded the Agency for the Performing Arts in the early 1960s, has died. He was 88. APA announced the news this morning.
Vorce launched APA in New York in 1962 with fellow MCAers David Baumgarten and Harvey Litwin, and the agency quickly grew in status. Its client roster at one time or another included Liberace, Johnny Cash, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Harry Belafonte, Michael Feinstein, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, George Hamilton, Diahann Carroll, Peggy Lee, Marlene Dietrich, Ginger Rogers, Victor Borge and Peter Allen among others.
In 1993, following the death of then-president Marty Klein, Vorce relocated the Los Angeles office and assumed the role of president, becoming CEO in 1997. He most recently was Chairman Emeritus at the agency.
“Nobody loved working with talent more than Roger,” APA president and CEO James Gosnell said. “Through his devotion to our company, he allows us to stand on his shoulders. We come to work every day proud to continue his legacy.”
Born in Medford, MA, Vorce attended Notre Dame and enlisted in the Navy. After an honorable discharge, he began his entertainment career at MCA in New York under Wasserman. He became an agent in 1957.
A celebration of life will be announced at a later date.
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