The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Hollywood agent turned fundraiser
During a long and successful working life, Nanci Ryder guided the careers of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
The publicist, who died aged 67 after a six-year battle with ALS, was the voice of actors Reese Witherspoon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael J Fox and Courteney Cox.
Starting her career as a talent agent in 1979, she worked for the David Shapira Agency in Los Angeles, then joined GoldbergEhrlich Public Relations and Management.
There she made many of the connections that built her into one of Hollywood’s most powerful publicists.
In the mid-1980s, she struck out on her own, forming her own public relations firm with Michael J Fox as her first client.
In 1987 she partnered with Larry Winokur and Paul Baker to form Baker/Winokur/Ryder Public Relations. The firm guided some of the industry’s most influential stars and led the way for other PR firms in Hollywood and across the world.
Her Hollywood career spanned nearly three decades, with her clientele also featuring Robert Downey Jr, Sarah Jessica Parker and Woody Harrelson.
When she was diagnosed with the motor neurone disease ALS (or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in 2014, she dedicated the rest of her life to raising awareness of the disease and finding a cure.
Forming Team Nanci, with the help of her clients-turned-friends, she raised more than $820,000 (£652,600) for the ALS Association Golden West Chapter.
Close friends Renee Zellweger, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Bryan Lourd, Reese Witherspoon, Courteney Cox, Angie Harmon and Justine Bateman supported the team at the LA County Walk to Defeat ALS in 2015.
Ms Ryder is survived by a stepbrother, Dr Stanley Schwartz.