Director, Actor And Producer Sydney Pollack Has Passed Away At 73

Oscar-winning director Sydney Pollack died of cancer Monday. He was 73. Pollack, who was also an actor and producer, was surrounded by family at his home in Pacific Palisades when he passed, according to his publicist Leslee Dart. He was diagnosed with cancer ten months ago and had been undergoing treatment for the disease, she says.

Pollack was credited with directing 20 films, including seven with Robert Redford – most famously The Way We Were and Out of Africa, which won him two Oscars as director and as producer of the film, which won the best picture Oscar. Pollack also received a best director Oscar nomination for the memorable 1982 comedy starring Dustin Hoffman, Tootsie.

He achieved more than 40 producer credits – from Presumed Innocent to last year's Michael Clayton. As an actor, Pollack later appeared in a number of films, including Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives, Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and the recent Oscar-nominated Michael Clayton. He even turned up in guest roles on Frasier, Will & Grace and The Sopranos.

Pollack is survived by his wife, Claire, daughters Rebecca and Rachel, his brother Bernie, and six grandchildren. Services will be private.

Source: www.people.com