Nancy Green-Keyes dead at 68: Casting director for The Notebook and Rush Hour passes away after brief illness

Casting director Nancy Green-Keyes has passed away at 68.

The Hollywood veteran – who was best known for her work on The Notebook and Rush Hour – died on Wednesday, January  17 according to Deadline.

She passed away at UCLA Hospital in Santa Monica of acute respiratory failure following  brief illness.

The site reports that her death was announced by her family.

In addition to her work as a casting director she was also an agent and a film producer.

Casting director Nancy Green-Keyes passed away at 68 of acute respiratory failure following brief illness at UCLA Hospital in Santa Monica

Nancy is a native to the state of Rhode Island and studied art at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

She then moved to Los Angeles and was able to eventually able to get a job as an assistant to talent agent and manager Susan Smuth.

After that gig, Nancy became an agent at the Peter Meyer Agency.

Following that she became an agent at Ambrosio/Mortimer where she helped develop careers of stars including Angela Bassett, Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Bucemi, John Hawkes, M.C. Gainey, Troy Evans, and others.

She then made a career pivot from being an agent to casting alongside partner Matt Barry.

The duo were responsible for casting for dozens of films including : Rush Hour (1998), The Family Man (2000), John Q (2002), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), The Notebook (2004), Alpha Dog (2006) and My Sister’s Keeper (2009).

Back in October, Matthew shared a never-seen video of Britney Spears’ audition tape for The Notebook.

According to Matthew, the singer, now 42, beat out a slew of other hopefuls, including Claire Danes, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams and Jessica Biel, and was the front-runner for the part of Allie – before the movie’s creators ultimately settled on Rachel McAdams, now 44.

The Hollywood veteran – who was best known for her work on The Notebook (pictured) and Rush Hour – died on Wednesday, January 17 according to Deadline

Spears’ breathtaking display of raw emotion ‘blew away’ the movie’s producers and Nancy according to Matthew – and had all but secured her role in the movie, before McAdams stepped in front of the camera and was chosen as the ideal leading lady.

‘Britney wasn’t just good – she was phenomenal,’ said Barry as he recalled the audition in a Los Angeles studio on August 18, 2002.

‘It was a tough decision. Britney blew us all away. Our jaws were on the floor. I was blown away. Absolutely blown away. She brought her A-game that day.’

After beginning her Hollywood career as an agent she then made a career pivot from being an agent to casting alongside partner Matt Barry; the poster for 1998 film Rush Hour is shown

In addition the duo were also credited as co-producers of Bruce Willis and Justin Timberlake film Alpha Dog.

Nancy was also producer on Of Minds And Music which was directed by Richie Adams and starred  Joaquim de Almeida, Aunjanue Ellis, Bill Cobbs and Ruth Negga.

She is survived by daughter Tiffany Keyes and brothers Michael and Andre Green.

The family asks that any donations be made in her name to Wallis Annenberg PetSpace.