Pat Golden is a writer, director, producer
and award-winning casting director.
Trained in theatre and directing at the University of Pittsburgh and
Carnegie Mellon University, Golden is an accomplished theatre director,
mounting both regional and Off-Broadway productions. While at the
University of Pittsburgh, she founded her first theater company, The
South Oakland Arts Council. .
In addition to directing, Golden is an award-winning casting director
in film, discovering many now-established actors and offering
Blair Underwood,
Vincent Gallo,
Samuel L. Jackson,
Chris Rock,
Queen Latifah,
LL Cool J,
Erika Alexander,
Golden Brooks,
LisaGay Hamilton and
Little Richard their first feature film roles. Her innovative casting style led to the discovery of Dr.
Haing S. Ngor, a Cambodian physician who
she cast in The Killing Fields (1984). Dr. Ngor went on to win an
Academy Award and a BAFTA for his portrayal. Golden was
nominated by the Casting Society of America for its Artios Award for
Best Casting for Feature Film, Drama for both
David Lynch's Blue Velvet and
Oliver Stone's Platoon (1986). She won for Platoon, which itself went on to win 4
Academy Awards including Best Picture.