| Sydney Pollack (July 1, 1934, Lafayette —May 26, 2008, Los Angeles) was an American film director, actor and producer.
Sydney Pollack was born in a family of Jewish emigrants from Russia. In the 1950s, he studied at the theatrical school “Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater” with Sanford Meisner. After serving in the army (1957-1958), he performed on Broadway, in teleplays and taught acting. Sydney Pollack was a director of teleplays and television serials. “The Slender Thread” (1965) was his first directorial debut film.
As a director, he achieved tremendous success and wide popularity thanks to the screen version of the novel of Horace McCoy “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” about the depression era dance marathon in the USA in the 1930s. Jane Fonda and Gig Young were cast in the film and Gig Young won the Oscar award for Best supporting Actor.
In 1973, he directed the drama “The Way We Were” and Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford played the lead roles. Other popular works in the 1970s were the film "Yakuza" and the political thriller “Three Days of Condor”. He received an "Oscar" award for “Out of Africa” (1985) and was nominated for the comedy film “Tootsie” (1982).
In 1993, he directed the thriller "The Firm" (Tom Cruise) based on John Grisham's novel. The film “Sabrina” (Harrison Ford) was criticized and failed miserably at the box office. In the 1990s, he turned producer. He acted in the films “Husbands and wives”, which was directed by Woody Allen and “Eyes Wide Shut”, directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Sydney Pollack died on May 26, 2008 at the age of 73 in Los Angeles. The mass Media informs that Pollack suffered from cancer.
Director:
1968 - The Scalphunters
1969 — They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
1973 — The Way we were
1975 — The Yakuza
1975 — Three days of the condor
1977 — Bobby Deerfield
1979 — The Electric Horseman
1982 — Tootsie
1985 — Out Of Africa
1993 — The Firm
1995 — Sabrina
1999 — Random Hearts
2005 — The Interpreter
Actor:
1982 — Tootsie
1992 — Husbands and Wives
1999 — Eyes Wide Shut
1999 — Random Hearts
2005 — The Interpreter
2007 — Michael Clayton
Awards:
1986 - Oscar award for directing and producing the film “Out of Africa”;
Four Oscar nominations;
Three Golden globe nominations;
Awards and nominations of Berlin Film Festival:
1972 - Nomination for Gold palm branch of Cannes film festival.
Many other nominations and awards.
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Hollywood legend Sydney Pollack died of cancer at his Los Angeles home at the age of 73.
Academy award winner Pollack will be remembered for his movies by millions of people who love them as well by numerous stars that worked with Pollack. Some of his most famous films are
"Out of Africa," "Tootsie," "Absence of Malice," and "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"
Unlike many other directors, Pollack was also a movie and television actor.
Last fall, Pollack played law firm boss in "Michael Clayton," which he co-produced and
received seven Oscar nominations. Hollywood will miss the Pollack's talent, and so will millions of fans worldwide, including us at Freaking News.
