May 27 2008
Acclaimed Director/Actor Sydney Pollack Dies
The film world has lost a great asset as director/actor Sydney Pollack has succumbed to cancer at the age of 73. He was nominated for his first Best Director Academy Award for 1969’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? He would also receive Best Director nominations for 1984’s Tootsie and 2007’s Michael Clayton, but he would only see one win – for 1985’s Out of Africa. He would direct two actors to Oscars – Jessica Lange for her performance in Tootsie and Gig Young in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Pollack was also a good actor. He appeared in Tootsie, Eyes Wide Shut, Michael Clayton, and many more films, with his appearance in Made of Honor being his last. He was a lifelong friend of Robert Redford (whom he met when he made his screen debut in 1962’s War Hunt) and was also a good friend of George Clooney, having directed both Michael Clayton and Leatherheads.
He was awarded the John Huston Award by the Directors Guild of America in 2000. When the American Film Institute ranked the 100 Best American Love Movies in 2002, he was the only director with two films near the top, with The Way We Were coming in at #6 and Out of Africa coming in at #13.
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