Charles H. Stern; Hollywood Agent

Charles H. Stern, 63, Malibu civic leader and Hollywood agent whose clients included George C. Scott, Hoyt Axton, Telly Savalas, Ed McMahon and Mickey Rooney. Stern paired many celebrities with manufacturers for memorable commercial campaigns, including James Garner and Polaroid, Merlin Olsen and FTD, and Dennis Weaver and Great Western Savings. A native of San Francisco, Stern earned a political science degree at UC Berkeley and played saxophone with his Charley Stern Band. In the late 1950s, Stern worked for San Francisco radio and television stations. He moved to Los Angeles and established his Charles H. Stern Agency in 1960. Active in coastal land use debates along what he dubbed “the Malibu Gold Coast,” Stern once ran for Malibu City Council. On Thursday in Malibu of cancer.