Sydney Pollack

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Sydney Pollack

Sydney Pollack, 2006
Born July 1, 1934
Lafayette, Indiana
Died May 26, 2008 (aged 73)
Pacific Palisades, California
Spouse(s) Claire Griswold (1958-2008)

Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008[1]) was an Academy Award-winning American film director, producer and actor. Born in Lafayette, Indiana to Russian Jewish immigrants, Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he later taught acting. He began directing television shows in the 1960s before moving to films.

Pollack directed more than 21 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 films or shows, and produced over 44 films. Some of his best known works include Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975) and Absence of Malice (1981). His 1985 film Out of Africa won him Academy Awards for directing and producing; he was also nominated for Best Director Oscars for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and Tootsie, the latter of which he also starred in. Later films included Havana (1990), The Firm (1993), Sabrina (1995) and The Interpreter (2005).

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[edit] Early life

Sydney Pollack was born in Lafayette, Indiana, to a family of Jewish immigrants from Russia,[2] the son of Rebecca (née Miller) and David Pollack, a semi-professional boxer and pharmacist.[2] The family relocated to South Bend and his parents divorced when he was young. His mother, an alcoholic with emotional problems, died at the age of 37 while Pollack was a student.[3]

Despite earlier plans to attend college and then medical school, Pollack left Indiana for New York City soon after finishing high school at age 17.[4] Pollack studied acting with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse from 1952 to 1954, working on a lumber truck between terms.[4] After two years' army service until 1958, he returned to the Playhouse at Meisner’s invitation to become his assistant.[5] In 1960, John Frankenheimer, a friend of Pollack's, asked him to come to Los Angeles in order to work as a dialogue coach for the child actors on Frankenheimer's first big picture, The Young Savages. It was during this time that Pollack met Burt Lancaster, who encouraged the young actor to try directing.[5]

[edit] Career

Pollack found initial success in television in the 1960s by directing episodes of series such as The Fugitive and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. His film directing debut was 1965's The Slender Thread, starring Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft.[3] Over time, Pollack's films received a total of 48 Academy Award nominations, winning 11 Oscars. His first Oscar nomination was for his 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don't They?. He was later nominated again in 1982 for Tootsie. For his 1985 film Out of Africa starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, Pollack won Academy Awards for directing and producing.

While directing Tootsie, his rows with star Dustin Hoffman became well known. Eventually Hoffman began pushing the idea that Pollack play the role of his agent, and Pollack reluctantly agreed despite not having had any film roles in 20 years. Their off-screen relationship added authenticity to their scenes in the movie, most of which feature them arguing. Pollack subsequently took on more acting roles in addition to producing and directing. He appeared as himself in the Documentary One Six Right, describing his joy of owning and piloting his Citation X jet aircraft.

He resumed his acting career with appearances in such films as Husbands and Wives (1992), The Player (1992) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999), often playing corrupt or morally conflicted power figures. As a character actor, Pollack appeared in films such as A Civil Action, and Changing Lanes, as well as his own, including Random Hearts and The Interpreter. He also appeared in Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives as a New York lawyer undergoing a midlife crisis, and in Robert Zemeckis' Death Becomes Her as an emergency room doctor. His last role was as Patrick Dempsey's father in Made of Honor, which was playing in theaters at the time of his death. He had a recurring guest star role on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, playing Will Truman's (Eric McCormack) unfaithful but loving father, George Truman. In 2007, Pollack made guest appearances on the HBO TV series The Sopranos and Entourage as well as appearances on NBC's Just Shoot Me and Mad About You.

Pollack received the first annual Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking award from the Austin Film Festival on October 21, 2006. As a producer he helped to guide many films that were successful with both critics and movie audiences, such as The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Michael Clayton. In 2007, he appeared opposite George Clooney in Michael Clayton. He formed a production company called Mirage Enterprises with the English director Anthony Minghella.

[edit] Influences

In the 2002 Sight and Sound Directors' Poll, Pollack revealed his top-ten films: Casablanca, Citizen Kane, The Conformist, The Godfather Part II, Grand Illusion, The Leopard, Once Upon a Time in America, Raging Bull, The Seventh Seal, and Sunset Boulevard.[6]

[edit] Personal life and death

Pollack was married to Claire Griswold, a former student of his, from 1958 until his death. They had three children: Rachel, Rebecca, and Steven Pollack. Steven Pollack died in a plane crash in 1993.[1][7] His brother was the costume designer, producer and actor Bernie Pollack.

Concerns about Pollack's health had surfaced in 2007 when suddenly he stepped out of directing HBO's television film Recount.[8] The film aired on May 25, 2008. Pollack died the next day of cancer at the age of 73 at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, surrounded by family.[1] He had been diagnosed with cancer about nine months before his death.[1][9]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Director

Year Film Oscar nominations Oscar wins
1965 The Slender Thread 2
1966 This Property Is Condemned
1968 The Scalphunters
The Swimmer
1969 Castle Keep
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? 9 1
1972 Jeremiah Johnson
1973 The Way We Were 6 2
1975 Three Days of the Condor 1
The Yakuza
1977 Bobby Deerfield
1979 The Electric Horseman 1
1981 Absence of Malice 3
1982 Tootsie 10 1
1985 Out of Africa 11 7
1990 Havana 1
1993 The Firm 2
1995 Sabrina 2
1999 Random Hearts
2005 Sketches of Frank Gehry
The Interpreter

[edit] Producer

Upcoming

[edit] Appearances in film and television

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Cieply, Michael. "Sydney Pollack, Film Director, Is Dead at 73", New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-26. "Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay as director, producer and sometime actor whose star-laden movies like The Way We Were, Tootsie and Out of Africa were among the most successful of the 1970s and ’80s, died Monday at home here. He was 73." 
  2. ^ a b "The secret of my success?", The Guardian, 2002-08-14. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  3. ^ a b McLellan, Dennis. "Sydney Pollack: 1934-2008, Prolific director known for A-list casts", Los Angeles Times, 2008-05-27. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  4. ^ a b Macnab, Geoffrey. "Sydney Pollack, film director revered by stars, dies aged 73", The Independent, 2008-05-28. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  5. ^ a b "Obituary: Sydney Pollack", The Telegraph, 2008-05-28. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  6. ^ Sight and Sound Top Ten Poll 2002: "How the directors and critics voted: Sydney Pollack". - British Film Institute
  7. ^ "Film Maker's Son and Pilot Die in Crash of Small Plane", New York Times, November 28, 1993. Retrieved on 2008-05-26. "The son of the film maker Sydney Pollack was one of two student pilots who was killed on Friday when a single-engine plane crashed into a two-story apartment building and burst into flames." 
  8. ^ Clark, Mike. - "Remembering Sydney Pollack, an actor's director". - USA Today. - May 26, 2008. - Retrieved 2008-05-28
  9. ^ "Actor and director Sydney Pollack dies at 73", Associated Press, 2008-05-26. Retrieved on 2008-05-26. 

[edit] External links


v • d • e
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Jack Smight (1959) · Robert Mulligan (1960) · George Schaefer (1961) · Franklin Schaffner (1962) · Stuart Rosenberg (1963) · Tom Gries (1964) · Paul Bogart (1965) · Sydney Pollack (1966) · Alex Segal (1967) · Lee H. Katzin (1968) · David Greene (1969) · Paul Bogart (1970) · Daryl Duke / Fielder Cook (1971) · Alexander Singer / Tom Gries (1972) · Jerry Thorpe / Joseph Sargent (1973) · John Korty / Robert Butler (1974) · Bill Bain (1975)
Complete list: (1959–1975) · (1976–2000) · (2001–present)
v • d • e
Academy Award for Best Director

Warren Beatty (1981) · Richard Attenborough (1982) · James L. Brooks (1983) · Miloš Forman (1984) · Sydney Pollack (1985) · Oliver Stone (1986) · Bernardo Bertolucci (1987) · Barry Levinson (1988) · Oliver Stone (1989) Kevin Costner (1990) · Jonathan Demme (1991) · Clint Eastwood (1992) · Steven Spielberg (1993) · Robert Zemeckis (1994) · Mel Gibson (1995) · Anthony Minghella (1996) · James Cameron (1997) · Steven Spielberg (1998) · Sam Mendes (1999) · Steven Soderbergh (2000)

Complete List · (1927–1940) · (1941–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001-present)
v • d • e
Films directed by Sydney Pollack

The Slender Thread (1965) • This Property Is Condemned (1966) • The Scalphunters (1968) • Castle Keep (1969) • They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) • Jeremiah Johnson (1972) • The Way We Were (1973) • The Yakuza (1975) • Three Days of the Condor (1975) • Bobby Deerfield (1977) • The Electric Horseman (1979) • Absence of Malice (1981) • Tootsie (1982) • Out of Africa (1985) • Havana (1990) • The Firm (1993) • Sabrina (1995) • Random Hearts (1999) • The Interpreter (2005) • Sketches of Frank Gehry (2005)
Persondata
NAME Pollack, Sydney
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor
DATE OF BIRTH July 1, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH Lafayette, Indiana, United States
DATE OF DEATH May 26, 2008
PLACE OF DEATH Los Angeles, California, United States