Sydney Pollack dies of cancer at age 73

LOS ANGELES - Academy Award-winning director Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay who achieved commercial success and critical acclaim with the gender-bending comedy "Tootsie" and the period drama "Out of Africa," has died. He was 73.

Pollack died of cancer Monday afternoon at his home in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, surrounded by family, said agent Leslee Dart. He had been diagnosed with cancer about nine months ago, said Dart.

Pollack, who occasionally appeared on the screen himself, worked with and gained the respect of Hollywood's best actors in a long career that reached prominence in the 1970s and 1980s.

Last fall, he played Marty Bach opposite George Clooney in "Michael Clayton," which Pollack also co-produced. The film received seven Oscar nominations, including best picture and a best actor nod for Clooney.

Pollack's last screen appearance was in "Made of Honor," a romantic comedy currently in theaters, where he played the oft-married father of star Patrick Dempsey's character.

In recent years, Pollack produced many independent films with filmmaker Anthony Minghella and a production company Mirage Enterprises.

The Lafayette, Ind. native was born to first-generation Russian-Americans.

In high school, he fell in love with theater, a passion that prompted him forego college and move to New York and enroll in the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater.

Studying under Sanford Meisner, Pollack spent several years cutting his teeth in various areas of theater, eventually becoming Meisner's assistant.

After appearing in a handful of Broadway productions in the 1950s, Pollack turned his eye to directing.

Pollack is survived by his wife, Claire; two daughters, Rebecca and Rachel; his brother Bernie; and six grandchildren.

I was saddened, and somewhat stunned, to hear of Mr Pollack's passing. He was a brilliant director, and I especially loved when he did parts in front of the camera. Hollywood has lost a true legend. He died too young.

Rest In Peace, Mr Pollack.

Mitch

Mitchell said:

I was saddened, and somewhat stunned, to hear of Mr Pollack's passing. He was a brilliant director, and I especially loved when he did parts in front of the camera. Hollywood has lost a true legend. He died too young.

Rest In Peace, Mr Pollack.

Mitch

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Couldn't put it better, agree completely, he was too young, and so much fun, from whatever I saw.

Im suprised too. I loved his acting abilities in front of the camera and I was a big fan of the movie Tootsie with Dustin Hoffman. So long Sid!!

This sucks. He's the first person, via a special feature on a DVD, who actually showed me the HUGE difference between Full Screen and Wide Screen formats and made me realize how much you actually miss out on in Full Screen. I never liked full screen anyway but it was a shocker to actually see how much is cut out. I'll miss his work. R.I.P. and prayers go out to his family.