Sydney Pollack

American film director, producer and actor (1934-2008)

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Lived 1934–2008, aged 74United States

United States DirectorsMovie Director

Wikipedia
72 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1934–2008
Aged 74
Known for
Eyes Wide Shut
1999

Summary

Updated 2026-06-10

He directed Robert Redford through westerns and thrillers, won Oscars for a sweeping romance in Kenya, then showed up in front of the camera as Dustin Hoffman's exasperated agent in Tootsie — the same film he directed.

Biography

About

Sydney Irwin Pollack was born July 1, 1934, and spent more than 40 years moving between the director's chair, the producer's office, and occasional acting roles. His first Oscar nomination for Best Director came with They Shoot Horses, Don't They? in 1969; another followed for Tootsie in 1982, where he also played on-screen. He won both Best Director and Best Picture for Out of Africa in 1985. The films in between and after — The Way We Were, Three Days of the Condor, The Firm, Sabrina — were the kind of mid-budget studio pictures that played wide and held attention. As a producer he backed Se…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Sydney Pollack

Sydney Pollack

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I've never had a mad desire to become director, nor have I had to lay siege to a producer to fulfill that desire. Simply, I have become a director.

Sydney Pollack

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I have some radical theories about the difference between acting on stage and acting in front of the camera.

Sydney Pollack

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Redford is a very good collaborator, a kind of alter ego for me: he was that young prince who was blond in appearance, but who had a much darker interior.

Sydney Pollack

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