Legendary director Sydney Pollack died on Monday afternoon from cancer. It happened at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles and he was surrounding by his family and loved ones. He had been diagnosed with cancer around nine months ago.
He first achieved critical success for his role in Tootsie and for his direction of Out of Africa, which won seven Oscars, including Best Director.
If you saw the recent Made of Honor, it was his last role in front of the camera. The one I will remember is his portrayal of Marty Bach opposite George Clooney in Michael Clayton.
While he may be remembered for his directing and acting, he was also a producer and has an even bigger portfolio there. I had no idea he was a producer on Sliding Doors with Gwynneth Paltrow, one of my favorite movies.
It’s always sad to me when we lose these filmmaking legends. I honestly had no idea he had cancer, so this is kind of a shock.
He has made many great jobs during his life…May he rest in peace. I found something ironic as Robert Knox died at 18.