Sydney Pollack

Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film Out of Africa (1985), Pollack won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture.[1] He was also nominated for Best Director Oscars for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) and Tootsie (1982).

Sydney Pollack
Pollack in 2006
Born
Sydney Irwin Pollack

(1934-07-01)July 1, 1934
Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.
DiedMay 26, 2008(2008-05-26) (aged 73)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor, producer, director
Years active1955–2008
Spouse(s)
Claire Bradley Griswold
​
​
(m. 1958)​
Children3

Some of his other best-known works include Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975) and Absence of Malice (1981). His subsequent films included Havana (1990), Presumed Innocent (1990), The Firm (1993), The Interpreter (2005), and he produced and acted in Michael Clayton (2007). Pollack also made appearances in Robert Altman's Hollywood mystery The Player (1992), Woody Allen's relationship drama Husbands and Wives (1993), and Stanley Kubrick's erotic psychological drama Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Pollack is probably best known to television viewers for his recurring role playing Will Truman's father on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace (2000–2006).

Early life

Pollack was born in Lafayette, Indiana, to a family of Russian-Jewish immigrants,[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, who suffered from alcoholism and 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 School of the Theatre from 1952 to 1954, working on a lumber truck between terms.[4]

After two years army service, ending in 1958, he returned to the Playhouse at Meisner's invitation to become his assistant.[5] In 1960, John Frankenheimer, a friend of Pollack, 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]

Career

Pollack played a director in The Twilight Zone episode "The Trouble with Templeton" in 1961. But he found his real success in television in the 1960s by directing episodes of series, such as The Fugitive and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. After doing TV he made the jump into film with a string of movies that drew public attention. His film-directing debut was The Slender Thread (1965).[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?, and his second 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.[6]

During his career, he directed 12 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Jane Fonda, Gig Young, Susannah York, Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman, Melinda Dillon, Jessica Lange, Dustin Hoffman, Teri Garr, Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer and Holly Hunter. Young and Lange won Oscars for their performances in Pollack's films.

His disputes with Hoffman during the filming of Tootsie became well known. Eventually Hoffman began pushing the idea that Pollack play the role of his agent and Pollack reluctantly agreed despite not having 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 in owning and piloting his Cessna Citation X jet aircraft.

One of a select group of non- and/or former actors awarded membership in the Actors Studio,[7] Pollack resumed acting in the 1990s with appearances in such films as Robert Altman's The Player (1992) and Stanley Kubrick's 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 (the latter also being his final film as a director). He also appeared in Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives as a New York lawyer undergoing a midlife crisis, and in Robert Zemeckis's Death Becomes Her as an emergency room doctor. His last role was as Patrick Dempsey's father in the 2008 romantic comedy Made of Honor, which was playing in theaters at the time of his death. He was a recurring guest star on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, playing Will Truman's (Eric McCormack) unfaithful but loving father, George Truman. In addition to earlier appearances on NBC's Just Shoot Me and Mad About You, in 2007, Pollack made guest appearances on the HBO TV series The Sopranos and Entourage.

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, a film in which he also starred opposite George Clooney and for which he received his sixth Academy Award nomination, in the Best Picture category. He formed a production company called Mirage Enterprises with the English director Anthony Minghella. The last film they produced together, The Reader, earned them both posthumous Oscar nominations for Best Picture. Besides his many feature film laurels, Pollack was nominated for five Primetime Emmys, earning two: one for directing in 1966 and another for producing, which was given four months after his death in 2008.

The moving image collection of Sydney Pollack is housed at the Academy Film Archive.[8]

Influences

In the 2002 Sight & Sound Directors' Poll, Pollack revealed his top ten films in alphabetical order:[9]

Family

Pollack's brother, Bernie, is a costume designer, producer, and actor.

Pollack was married to Claire Bradley Griswold, a former student of his, from 1958 until his death in 2008. They had three children: Steven (1959–1993), Rebecca (b. 1963), and Rachel (b. 1969).[10] In November 1993, Steven died at the age of 34 in the crash of a small, single-engine plane which clipped a power line and burst into flames in Santa Monica, California.[11][12] Claire, Pollack's wife, died on March 28, 2011 at 74 years of age, due to Parkinson's disease.

Death

Concerns about Pollack's health surfaced in 2007, when he withdrew from directing HBO's television film Recount,[13] which aired on May 25, 2008. Pollack died the next day at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by his family who confirmed that cancer was the cause of death but declined to provide specifics.[10][14] His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered along the runway at the Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film

Directing and producing

Year Title Director Producer Notes
1965The Slender ThreadYesParamount Pictures
1966This Property Is CondemnedYes
1968The ScalphuntersYesUnited Artists
1969Castle KeepYesColumbia Pictures
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?YesCinerama Releasing Corporation
1972Jeremiah JohnsonYesWarner Bros.
1973The Way We WereYesColumbia
1974The YakuzaYesYesWarner Bros
1975Three Days of the CondorYesParamount Pictures
1977Bobby DeerfieldYesYesColumbia Pictures
1979The Electric HorsemanYesUniversal Pictures
1981Absence of MaliceYesColumbia Pictures
1982TootsieYesYes
1985Out of AfricaYesYesUniversal Pictures
1990HavanaYes
1993The FirmYesYesParamount Pictures
1995SabrinaYesYes
1999Random HeartsYesYesColumbia Pictures
2005The InterpreterYesUniversal Pictures
2005Sketches of Frank GehryYesExecutiveSony Pictures Classics
2018Amazing GraceYesNeon

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
1962 War Hunt Sgt. Owen Van Horn
1975 Three Days of the Condor Taxi Driver
1979 The Electric Horseman Man who makes pass at Alice Uncredited
1982 Tootsie George Fields
1992 The Player Dick Mellon
Death Becomes Her ER Doctor Uncredited
Husbands and Wives Jack
1998 A Civil Action Al Eustis
1999 Eyes Wide Shut Victor Ziegler
Random Hearts Carl Broman
2001 The Majestic Studio Executive Voice
2002 Changing Lanes Stephen Delano
2005 The Interpreter Jay Pettigrew Uncredited
2006 Fauteuils d'orchestre Brian Sobinski
2007 Michael Clayton Marty Bach
2008 Made of Honor Thomas Bailey Sr. Final film role

Television

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
1956 The Kaiser Aluminum Hour Shuber Episode: "The Army Game"
1959 Playhouse 90 Andres Episodes: "For Whom the Bell Tolls: Parts 1 & 2"
The United States Steel Hour Benson Episode: "The Case of Julia Walton"
Armstrong Circle Theatre Albert Rousseau Episode: "35 Rue Du Marche"
Startime Harry Episode: "Something Special"
1959–64 Brenner Detective Al Dunn 3 episodes
1960 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Bernie Samuelson Episode: "The Contest for Aaron Gold"
Twilight Zone Arthur Willis Episode: "The Trouble with Templeton"
Tales of Wells Fargo Stan Ryker Episode: "Angry Town"
1961 Have Gun – Will Travel Joe Culp Episodes: "Quiet Night in Town: Part 1 & 2"
The Deputy Chuck Johnson Episode: "Spoken in Silence"
The Asphalt Jungle Louie Episode: "The Professor"
1961–62 The New Breed Austin Rogers/Bert Masters 2 episodes
1962 Ben Casey Episode: "Monument to an Aged Hunter"
1994 Frasier Holden Thorpe (voice) Episode: "The Candidate"
1998 Mad About You Dr. Sydney Warren Episode: "Cheating on Sheila"
2000 Just Shoot Me! Himself Episode: "A&E Biography: Nina Van Horn"
King of the Hill Grant Trimble Voice; Season 4: "Episode 23"
2000–06 Will & Grace George Truman 4 episodes
2003 Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin Narrator Voice; Documentary
2005 One Six Right: The Romance of Flying Himself Documentary
2006 American Masters Narrator Episode: "John Ford/John Wayne"
2007 The Sopranos Warren Feldman Episode: "Stage 5"
Entourage Himself

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Project Result
1970Academy AwardsBest DirectorThey Shoot Horses, Don't They?Nominated
1983Best PictureTootsieNominated
Best DirectorNominated
1986Best PictureOut of AfricaWon
Best DirectorWon
2008Best PictureMichael ClaytonNominated
2009The ReaderNominated
1963Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Directing – Drama SeriesBen CaseyNominated
1964Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler TheatreNominated
1966Won
2008Outstanding Television MovieRecountNominated
Outstanding Variety SpecialJames Taylor: One Man BandNominated
1969Golden Globe AwardsBest DirectorThey Shoot Horses Don't They?Nominated
1982TootsieNominated
1985Out of AfricaWon
1983British Academy Film AwardsBest FilmTootsieNominated
Best DirectorNominated
1998Outstanding British FilmSliding DoorsNominated
2003Best FilmCold MountainNominated
Outstanding British FilmNominated
2008Best FilmThe ReaderNominated

References
  1. "THE 58TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 1986". Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  2. MacNab, Geoffrey (August 14, 2002). "The secret of my success?". The Guardian. London, UK. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
  3. McLellan, Dennis (May 27, 2008). "Sydney Pollack: 1934–2008, Prolific director known for A-list casts". SFGate. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  4. Macnab, Geoffrey (May 28, 2008). "Sydney Pollack, film director revered by stars, dies aged 73". The Independent. London, UK. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
  5. "Obituary: Sydney Pollack". London, UK: The Telegraph. May 28, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
  6. "The 58th Academy Awards | 1986". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  7. Garfield, David (1980). "Strasberg Takes Over: 1951–1955". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 93. ISBN 0-02-542650-8. Various directors and playwrights, including Frank Corsaro, Martin Fried, Jack Garfein, Michal V. Gazzo, Charles Gordone, Israel Horovitz, Arthur Penn, Eleanor Perry, Frank Perry, Sidney Pollack, Mark Rydell, Alan Schneider, and John Stix, have also been granted membership on the basis of their contributions to the life and work of The Actors Studio, as have certain other non-performers, such as Liska March and Carl Schaeffer.
  8. "Sydney Pollack Collection". Academy Film Archive.
  9. Sight and Sound Top Ten Poll 2002: "How the directors and critics voted: Sydney Pollack". – British Film Institute
  10. Cieply, Michael (May 27, 2008). "Sydney Pollack, Film Director, Is Dead at 73". The New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  11. Brown, Scott Shibuya (November 27, 1993). "Crash of Private Plane Kills 2 in Santa Monica: Accident: The son of filmmaker Sidney Pollack is one of the fatalities. A third man aboard is critically injured after the aircraft dived and hit an apartment building carport". LA Times. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  12. "Film Maker's Son and Pilot Die in Crash of Small Plane". The New York Times. AP. November 28, 1993. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
  13. Mike Clark (May 26, 2008). "Remembering Sydney Pollack, an actor's director". USA Today. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  14. "Actor and director Sydney Pollack dies at 73". Associated Press. May 26, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
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