Sydney Pollack, 1934 – 2008

Sydney Pollack, an Academy Award-winning director known for films such as “Out of Africa” and “Tootsie,” died of cancer Monday in his Los Angeles home. He was 73.

Pollack’s success hit “Out of Africa,” a film about a Danish woman who falls in love with a British adventurer on a Kenyan plantation, won a total of seven Oscars, including best director and best picture.

Other well-known successes in Pollack’s career as a director include 1993’s “The Firm,” a thriller with Tom Cruise, and “Sabrina,” a romantic comedy starring Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond.

Besides his work as a respected director, Pollack also served as a producer and even appeared onscreen himself. Last fall, he starred opposite George Clooney in Tony Gilroy’s political thriller “Michael Clayton.”

Pollack most recently appeared in “Made of Honor,” in which he slipped into the role of Patrick Dempsey’s father. He will also be credited as producer on two upcoming films: “Margaret,” a drama directed by Kenneth Lonergan, and Stephen Daldry’s “The Reader.”

Pollack was born in Lafayette, Indiana, and later moved to New York to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York.

In 1958, Pollack married Claire Griswold, with whom he has three children. Their only son, Steven, died in a plane crash late in 1993 in Santa Monica, California.

After gaining experience as a director on television shows, Pollack turned his attention to the big screen. His first feature film, “The Slender Thread,” was released in theaters in 1965.

Pollack’s last work as a director was 2005’s documentary “Sketches of Frank Gehry,” a look at the life and career of the famous architect who built the Disney concert hall in Los Angeles.

Sydney Pollack was a great filmmaker who picked his films and roles wisely, and he will be missed.

Article by Franck Tabouring