Vic Ramos, 77; casting director for noted directors including Coppola

Vic Ramos, the casting director for Francis Ford Coppola on “The Godfather, Part II” and “Apocalypse Now” and for George Lucas on “Star Wars,” has died. He was 77.

Ramos, who later turned to talent management, died Sunday of pulmonary failure at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City, said Sandy Erickson, his partner in New York-based Ramos Management.

Fred Roos, a producer who worked with Ramos on the Coppola films, told The Times on Wednesday that Ramos “had great taste and a great eye, and he had a real love for actors.”

“He was open to the underdog actor who wasn’t represented by the biggie and would always find worthy people,” Roos said.

Ramos is credited with discovering Matt Dillon when he cast him in the 1979 film “Over the Edge” with four other unknowns. A Ramos assistant had run into Dillon cutting class in junior high, and Ramos reportedly immediately recognized Dillon’s potential.

Since founding his agency in 1981, Ramos managed Dillon and a small stable of other actors.

“Vic was a product of Hollywood in the ‘40s and came from the old school, stressing importance of hard work and honing one’s craft,” Dillon said in a prepared statement. “He was a great friend, had a lot of style. He taught me a lot over the years.”

The outspoken Ramos became a casting director almost by accident after walking into an acting audition for the ABC TV series “Naked City” (1958-63) and commenting that none of the extras looked like people he saw on the streets of New York. He was hired on the spot to cast extras in the popular police drama, Erickson said.

From 1960 to 1981, Ramos helped cast more than 25 films and television shows, including “The Black Stallion,” which Coppola executive produced; “American Gigolo” and other Paul Schrader films; Brian De Palma’s “Dressed to Kill”; and Michael Mann’s “Thief.”

Victor Ramos was born in 1930 in Los Angeles, the son of a grip at RKO studio. He was a bicycle messenger at Universal Studios before joining MGM’s marketing department.

His wife, Virginia Loew, was the granddaughter of motion picture industry pioneer Marcus Loew, who formed MGM. She died in 1964.

There are no immediate survivors.

Memorial donations may be made to Stockings With Care, a gift-giving charity for New York City’s homeless children, P.O. Box 231590, Ansonia Finance Station, New York, NY 10023.

valerie.nelson@latimes.com