Sydney Pollack: A Tribute

Sydney Pollack, who passed away this week at the age of 73 after a nine-month battle with cancer, was one of those filmmakers who did it all.

His IMDB.com page lists among his skills: director, producer, actor, and cinematographer. He helmed plenty of movies, either directing or producing or both, but I get the feeling he must have stepped in wherever there was a weak link in the filmmaking process.

His career spanned back to 1959, when he acted on the TV series Playhouse 90. He continued on to do a variety of TV shows, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, Ben Casey, Will & Grace, and most recently, was executive producer on the HBO movie, Recount.

More after the jump, including a video clip…

The list of films he directed and/or produced — many of which won awards — is nothing less than impressive. The short list: They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969), The Way We Were (1973), Absence of Malice (1981), Tootsie (1982), Out of Africa (1985), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Michael Clayton (2007), and Leatherheads (2008).

What others have said:

George Clooney: “Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better. A tip of the hat to a class act. He’ll be missed terribly.”

Sally Field: “Having the opportunity to know Sydney and work with him was a great gift in my life. He was a good friend and a phenomenal director and I will cherish every moment that I ever spent with him.”

Tom Cruise: “Throughout the years, unpretentious and never condescending, he shared with me what he loved about family, storytelling, food, flying and a great bottle of vino … I first met him while he was in the midst of editing Tootsie. I’d seen every one of his pictures and he generously took the meeting. He was a Renaissance man and a great friend. I will miss him dearly.”

Here’s a great scene of Sydney Pollack on The Sopranos:

Image: Sydney Pollack, Michael Clayton, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2007