Mickey Cottrell, a renowned publicist who represented independent filmmakers in Hollywood, passed away on New Year’s Day at the Motion Picture Hospital in Woodland Hills. He was 79 years old.
According to his friend Ian Birnie, Cottrell died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Throughout his career, Cottrell worked with various iconic filmmakers, including Gus Van Sant. He served as the publicist for films such as Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, and Even Cowgirls Get The Blues. He also worked on notable films like Wings of Desire, Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, Bill Cunningham: New York, and Salt. His final publicist credit was for the documentary Film Hawk in 2017, which explored the life of indie film producer Robert (Bob) Hawk.
Cottrell began his publicity career at Landmark Theaters and later worked at Josh Baran & Associates. In 1989, he co-founded Cottrell & Lindeman Associates before establishing his own firm, Mickey Cottrell Film Publicity, in 2002. He then launched Inclusive PR in 2004, as reported by The Wrap.
In addition to his work in PR, Cottrell also had a presence in acting and producing. He made his silver screen debut in My Own Private Idaho in 1991 and appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ed Wood, and Star Trek: Voyager. His final acting credit was for the film I Do in 2012. Behind the camera, he served as an associate producer on Chain of Desire in 1992 and accumulated nine other producing credits, with his final credit as executive producer on Perfect Cowboy in 2014.
Born on September 4, 1944, in Springfield, Illinois, Cottrell grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from the University of Arkansas. His sister, Suzie Cottrell-Smith, confirmed his death to Deadline and revealed that he had been battling Parkinson’s disease. He suffered a major stroke in 2016 and recovered in Arkansas while living with his sister before returning to Los Angeles in 2019.
Cottrell is survived by his two sisters, Suzie and Gigi, as well as his nephew, Jeremy Allen, and his great-nephew Gregory Allen, according to Variety.