Winsome Sinclair, a prolific casting director best known for her frequent collaborations with Spike Lee, has died at the age of 58 after a battle with colon cancer. News of her passing was confirmed by producer and publicist Cassandra Butcher in a post on Instagram.
“Winsome Sinclair brought light to everyone she encountered, with a unique ability to see more in people than they could see in themselves,” Butcher wrote on Instagram. “A true fan of life and culture, her passion for the arts and her deep love for family and community will continue to inspire those who know her. Winsome’s legacy in the film industry and the lives she touched will live on, reminding us of her vibrant spirit and the stories she helped bring to life.”
Born in 1966, Sinclair began her career in Hollywood as a casting production assistant on Lee’s 1991 film “Jungle Fever” before rising to prominence as a member of the casting department on many of the auteur’s future films. She worked with Lee on “Malcolm X,” “Crooklyn,” “Clockers,” “Get on the Bus,” “He Got Game,” “Summer of Sam,” “25th Hour,” “She Hate Me,” “Inside Man,” “Miracle at St. Anna,” and “Red Hook Summer,” often casting the extras and local actors that can be essential to giving a film a distinct flair.
She quickly rose through the ranks and soon began working as a casting director. Her first film in charge was the 1998 film “Belly,” and she went on to serve as casting director on films such as the 2017 Tupac Shakur biopic “All Eyez on Me.”
Sinclair continued to be active in the industry up until her death, most recently working on projects such as “The Night Before Christmas” and “All In.” She relocated to Atlanta in 2014, becoming a fixture of the city’s filmmaking community for the last decade of her life.
Sinclair is survived by her two adopted children, her parents, and her many cousins, nieces, and nephews. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support her family.
“Our sweet angel Winsome Sinclair was a ‘woman of the word.’ She believed deeply in “radical faith” and lived her life in that way,” the GoFundMe reads. “She touched so many lives in the film and entertainment industry, and the prayer community to which she was a member.”
