Behind every great actor is a great agent bashing the phones, chasing the leads, and working their tails off for their client, so choosing which agent to sign with is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make as an actor. You need one who is in sync with your ambitions and really gets where you need to go. They also need to have a track record that shows they can take your career to the next level. Here’s our pick of the top London agents you need to know.
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Set up in 2006 to give diverse talent new opportunities, the Identity Agency Group now boasts an A-list roster of top acting talent. They put diversity front and center, and their self-declared mission is simple—to continue to disrupt the industry.
Agency founder Femi Oguns started off as an actor, but now his talent agency empire includes a drama school, a production arm, and a flourishing Hollywood outpost. He told the Guardian that his “agenda was to create a landscape where actors of color, and others, could celebrate their identity through acting, and not be limited.”
It’s a plan that seems to have worked. IAG now reps big names such as John Boyega, Letitia Wright, Simone Ashley, and Malachi Kirby. If you’re interested in joining their ranks, contact the agency via email at casting@iagtalent.com or give it a ring at 0203 915 3980.
When it comes to London agencies, Curtis Brown is a big player. Now owned by Beverly Hills behemoth United Talent Agency (UTA), CB began life as a literary agency in 1899 and has looked after writers such as John Le Carré and Ian Fleming. Its expansion into film and TV has also proved a winner, and now it reps big names like Paul Mescal, Nicola Coughlan, Paapa Essiedu, Lenny Rush, and Layton Williams.
In the past few years it has acquired other top London agencies like Markham, Froggatt & Irwin and Tavistock Wood, and its new combined list is an acting powerhouse. That, combined with its new Hollywood owners, makes it an agency to be reckoned with. To seek representation, send a CV, photo, show reel, and brief cover note to actorsrepresentation@curtisbrown.co.uk.
If you know the individual CB agent you’d like to contact, the agency encourages you to state the name in the subject line. A full list of their agents is available here. Something to note—they specifically ask for no follow-up phone calls. It’s very much a case of don’t call us, we’ll call you!
If you want to join a very select, boutique agency, then Maison Two might well be the place for you. You’d be forgiven for being a bit intimidated by the agency’s website and its high-powered but short talent list. It calls itself a “home for exceptional creatives,” and it’s difficult to argue when it has only eight clients, including Michaela Coel, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Maxine Peake, and Juno Temple.
Created when the founders of Troika, Michael Duff and Conor McCaughan, left that agency in 2020, Maison Two offers a “hands-on bespoke service to a small number of leading U.K. talents.” The names it reps might be well known but it also has new talent like Sophie Willian (“Alma’s Not Normal”) on its books too, so it’s not all BAFTA winners and “Doctor Who” stars. The intrepid can email the agency at office@maisontwo.com.
United Agents is a major player in the industry with a top-tier client list. Founded in 2007 through a merger of several other London agencies, UA is a powerhouse representing a mix of newbies and well-established stars.
It’s one of the U.K.’s biggest agencies and reps names like Johnny Flynn, Andrew Scott, Sharon Horgan, James Corden, Michelle Keegan, Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, and Nick Mohammed. It is a safe bet for any actor at any stage of their career.
One A-lister that knows the truth of that is Oscar winner Olivia Colman. She’s only ever had one agent, Lindy King, who spotted Colman in a drama school showcase. King repped Colman from the early no-work years to TV sitcom bit parts to lead roles in Hollywood movies. When King became a founding member of UA, Colman followed, leaving her original agency. It seems top talent knows top representation and sticks with it.
To approach United Agents, submit your CV, headshot, and show reel to one agent only. You can find agents’ contact details on their individual pages.
Another big hitter on the London scene is Hamilton Hodell. A boutique agency, HH consequently has a smaller list, but it definitely goes for quality rather than quantity. Huge names such as Matthew Macfadyen, Tilda Swinton, Harriet Walter, and Tom Hiddleston are all repped by HH’s crack team of agents offering “career management for extraordinary talent.”
They’re not totally focused on big, well-established names, though. Hamilton Hodell clearly has an eye for new talent. One of the last year’s breakout stars, Leo Woodall (“One Day,” “White Lotus”) is repped by HH agents, and other up-and-coming actors like Luther Ford (“The Crown”), Daisy Edgar Jones (“Normal People”), and Taj Atwal (“Trying”) have found a home at HH.
To join them, email your CV and show reel to representation@hamiltonhodell.co.uk, writing the name of the agent you are approaching in the subject line. Enjoy yourself choosing who to approach via their list of agents featuring cute baby pics. If you’re interested in voice acting, HH has a sister agency, HHush, that is worth checking out too.
Established more than 50 years ago, Conway Van Gelder Grant bills itself as “a leading actors agency in the heart of the West End.” In addition to actors, it reps voice actors and crucially a fair few casting directors, which no doubt can come in quite handy!
CVGG cofounder Nicki van Gelder says there’s no secret to what she looks for in a new client. “You have to think they’re good. Really, it’s very simple. And I’m not always going to go for someone who’s absolutely beautiful or handsome. It could be someone tiny and characterful who’s just really interesting.”
The agency’s client list boasts more than 350 actors, including notable names like Brian Cox, Jonathan Bailey, Benedict Cumberbatch, Noma Dumezweni, Eddie Izzard, Jack Lowden, and Joanne Froggatt. To seek representation, check out the individual email addresses of their agents listed here.
Another power player in the industry, Independent Talent Group reps actors, writers, and directors, enabling networking galore. Big projects and big actors are found at ITG’s London offices, and this lot definitely knows how to spot talent.
Hot young British stars such as Luke Newton, Ewan Mitchell, Sophie Turner, and Josh O’Connor are ITG clients alongside more established stars like Daniel Craig, Claire Foy, David Tennant, and Keeley Hawes. Add to that mix writers like Phoebe Waller Bridge and directors like Jonathan Glazer and David Lynch, and it’s quite a heady combination—the Christmas party must be a blast!
If joining this creative team sounds fun, then send an email with your cover letter, CV, headshot, and show reel to actingrepresentation@independenttalent.com. ITG says it looks at everything, but if you’ve not heard back in four to six weeks, it means your application was unsuccessful.
Fancy being repped by the agency behind the careers of such actors as Ambika Mod, Regé-Jean Page, James Norton, and Emily Blunt? Then look no further than the Artists Partnership (TAP), based in Soho.
TAP, then known as Ken McReddie Associates, was founded in the late 1970s and later rebranded in 2013 under CEO Roger Charteris, whose vision involves “collaboration and partnership, focusing on nurturing a distinct working practice between agency, agents and clients; developing rich relationships to build the agency into a boutique, internationally facing home for talent.”
Now TAP has a successful production arm and a client list that is the envy of many agencies. Along with actors, it also reps writers, directors, and influencers; its offshoot Be Heard Voices reps voiceover actors. Basically, the Artists Partnership has a finger in lots of creative pies, offers clients a “full-service environment,” and has a track record to back up that broad strategy.
Stars like Joseph Fiennes and Idris Elba have stuck with the agency when they’ve found success, and there are enough relatively unknown actors on the books to show that the agency is still on the lookout for the next big thing. If that sounds like you, then submit a cover letter, headshot, show reel, and CV to representation@theartistspartnership.co.uk. If you know which agent you’re interested in, put their name in the subject line; if you want to keep it general, write “FAO All Agents.” Good luck!
