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Sydney Pollack

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Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack, 2006
SpouseClaire Griswold (married in 1958; 3 children)

Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934[1] – May 26, 2008[2]) was an Academy Award-winning Russian-American film director, producer and actor. He directed more than 21 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 films or shows, and produced over 44 films. Pollack is best known for directing films Out of Africa (1985), Tootsie (1982), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Yakuza (1975), The Way We Were and Jeremiah Johnson (1972), along with newer films The Interpreter (2005), Sabrina (1995), The Firm (1993) and Havana (1990). He appeared in over 15 films, including The Interpreter (2005), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Husbands and Wives (1992), The Player (1992), and The Electric Horseman (1979). In 2007, he appeared opposite George Clooney in Michael Clayton, a film which he also co-produced.

Biography

Personal life

Sydney Irwin Pollack was born in Lafayette, Indiana, to a family of Jewish immigrants from Russia,[3] the son of Rebecca (née Miller) and David Pollack, a professional boxer and pharmacist.[1] His parents divorced when he was young and his mother, an alcoholic, died at the age of 37 while Pollack was a student at the Neighborhood Playhouse.[4] His brother was the costume designer, producer and actor Bernie Pollack.

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, the latter of whom died in a plane crash in 1993.[2][5]

Career

Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City from 1952 to 1954. He later taught acting there from 1954 to 1959 before embarking on his acting career. He then moved behind the camera to direct and produce. His directing career began in the 1960s with episodes of TV series such as The Fugitive and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He won the Academy Award for Directing for Out of Africa (1985). Pollack also received nominations for Best Director Oscars for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and Tootsie.

While directing Tootsie, his rows with Dustin Hoffman became well known. Eventually Hoffman began pushing the idea that Pollack play the role of his agent and Pollack reluctantly agreed. 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.

As a character actor, Pollack appeared in films such as A Civil Action, Changing Lanes, and Eyes Wide Shut, 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. 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 an appearance on NBC's Just Shoot Me.

Pollack received the first annual Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking award from the Austin Film Festival October 21, 2006. As a producer he helped to guide many films that were successful with both the critic and movie audiences, such as The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Michael Clayton. He formed a production company called Mirage Enterprises with the English director Anthony Minghella. His last film appearance was as the father of Patrick Dempsey's character in the 2008 comedy Made of Honor.

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]

Death

Wikinews has related news:

Concerns about Pollack's health had surfaced in 2007 when suddenly he stepped out of directing HBO's television film Recount [7]. 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.[8] He had been diagnosed with cancer about nine months before his death, said his publicist, Leslee Dart.[9][2]

Filmography

Director

Producer

Upcoming

Appearances in film and television

References

  1. ^ a b FilmReference.com: Sydney Pollack Biography (1934-)
  2. ^ a b c Cieply, Michael. "Sydney Pollack, Film Director, Is Dead at 73". New York Times. Retrieved 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. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ The secret of my success? | Interviews | Guardian Unlimited Film
  4. ^ Sydney Pollack Biography. Yahoo! Movies.
  5. ^ "Film Maker's Son and Pilot Die in Crash of Small Plane". New York Times. November 28, 1993. Retrieved 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. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "BFI: How the directors and critics voted"
  7. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-05-26-pollack-obit_N.htm?csp=34
  8. ^ Hollywood legend Sydney Pollack dies. NEWS.com.au. Retrieved on May 27, 2008.
  9. ^ "Actor and director Sydney Pollack dies at 73". Associated Press. 2008-05-26. Retrieved 2008-05-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |coauthors= (help)

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