Sydney Pollack.

Sydney Irwin Pollack

Born 1 Jul 1934 Lafayette, United States

Died 26 May 2008 Pacific Palisades, United States

Citizenship United States

Would Be 92 yr If Living

19 min read

Reading time

3,654

Words

Sep 23, 2026

Published

Awards

TL;DR

Sydney Pollack directed Tootsie 1982 and Out of Africa 1985, winning Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture for the latter. Over four decades, he directed and produced more than 40 films, earning six Academy Award nominations for Best Picture as producer. He also acted in films and TV, with notable roles in Eyes Wide Shut and The Sopranos.

Identity & family.

KIN · 2

Names, aliases, and relatives of Sydney Pollack — birth name, kin, and personal ties.

Birth Name Sydney Irwin Pollack

Aliases Sidney Pollack, Syd Pollack, Sidney Pollock

Spouses: Claire Griswold
Children: Rachel Pollack

At a glance.

STATS

Sydney Pollack by the numbers — life, work, and family.

73 Years lived

6 Awards

1 Marriage

1 Child

Who was Sydney Pollack?

BIOGRAPHY

Sydney Pollack — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

July 1, 1934 — Sydney Irwin Pollack is born in Lafayette, Indiana, to Rebecca and David Pollack. His father was a boxer turned pharmacist; his mother, a homemaker struggling with alcoholism, died at age 37 when Sydney was 16. All four of his grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants. After graduating high school in 1952, he moved to New York City.

From 1952 to 1954, he studied acting with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. He served two years in the army and then returned to the Playhouse as a teacher. He also studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

Career

Pollack’s feature film acting debut came in War Hunt 1962, where he met Robert Redford; the two became lifelong friends. Soon he turned to directing, helming episodes of television series before landing his first film, The Slender Thread 1965. He directed Redford opposite Natalie Wood in This Property Is Condemned 1966, beginning a collaboration that would span seven films.

His biggest success came with Out of Africa 1985, starring Redford and Meryl Streep. The film earned eleven Academy Award nominations and won seven, including Best Director and Best Picture for Pollack. Earlier, Tootsie 1982 showcased his comedy skills and earned ten Oscar nominations. He also directed The Way We Were 1973 and Three Days of the Condor 1975.

As a producer, Pollack was behind five Best Picture nominees: Tootsie, Out of Africa, Sense and Sensibility 1995, Michael Clayton 2007, and The Reader 2008. He returned to directing with The Interpreter 2005, the first film shot inside the United Nations Headquarters.

Personal life

In 1958, Pollack married Claire Griswold, whom he had taught at the Neighborhood Playhouse. They had three children: Steven born 1959, Rebecca born 1964, and Rachel born 1969. Their son Steven died in a plane crash on November 26, 1993, in Santa Monica, California. Rebecca served as vice president of film production at United Artists during the 1990s.

Pollack was an accomplished jazz pianist and owned a Cessna Citation 750 jet. He battled stomach cancer for nine months before his death on May 26, 2008, at his home in Pacific Palisades, California.

Legacy

Pollack won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for Out of Africa 1985. He was honored with the John Huston Award from the Directors Guild of America in 2000 for defending artists’ rights. His film Tootsie 1982 was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

He directed 12 actors to Oscar-nominated performances, including Jessica Lange, Dustin Hoffman, and Meryl Streep. Kate Winslet dedicated her first Oscar win to Pollack and his producing partner Anthony Minghella. Pollack is remembered as a versatile filmmaker who balanced commercial success with artistic integrity.

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 6

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Sydney Pollack — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama
Academy Award for Best Director
Academy Award for Best Picture
Berlinale Camera
National Board of Review Award for Best Film
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Notable quotes.

QUOTES · 16

A wall of memorable lines from Sydney Pollack — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.

I Don’t Value a Film I’ve Enjoyed Making. If It’s Good, It’s Damned Hard Work.
If We Were a Primitive Society, Movie Stars Would Be Gods.
I’m from Indiana. If I Get It, Everyone Gets It.
Look, Two and Two Is Four. Once You Learn That, You Know Your Way Around Numbers. the Part of the Business You Can Control Is the Business Part. You Have to Be a Fanatic About That. so You Can Be Totally Free to Wander and Be Haphazard in the Other Area, Where the Creativity Is. Anything Is Easier Than Art.
I Try to Work on the Script While Listening to Certain Things That Make Me Feel at Home with the World of the Picture. I Have Thousands of Songs on My Laptop and IPod – Classical Music, Old Standards, Film Scores by Morricone and Jerry Goldsmith, Vocalists Like Sinatra, Coldplay and Some Newer Rock Bands, Pretty Much Everything but Heavy Metal.
John Frankenheimer Always Had a Great Sense of Theatricality. and He Was a Real Shooter. He Had a Wonderful Sense of Lenses and Where to Put the Camera. Those Were the Early Days of Transitioning from Live Television into Film, and John Was Always Breaking Cameras. We Used These Electric Cameras That Had Tubes in Them, and You Couldn’t Put Them Cockeyed on the Floor Because They’d Heat up and Blow Out. but John Was Always Putting Them in Impossible Positions Because It Was a Big Part of His Style, Those Unorthodox Setups. of Course, Everybody That Learned in Those Days Was into Wide Angles and Low Angles. You Put the Camera on the Floor and You Used Wide-angle Lenses and You Shot up and You Put Ceiling Pieces In, and That Was a Big Deal. Because in the Old Days of Lighting, You Had to Leave the Ceiling Open for Lights-the Film Was Slow, the Lenses Were Slow.
Any Creative Act Is an Intimate Act, and It’s Difficult to Be Intimate with Strangers. the Real Creative Part of Movie-making Is Very Revealing of Yourself, the Actors Are Very Revealing of Themselves, and You’re Making Choices That Are Exposing Yourself in a Certain Way. That’s Why It’s so Painful to Be Ripped Apart in a Review, Because in a Sense You Feel You’ve Undressed in Front of the World and They’re Saying Oh, That’s Ugly.
The Wonderful Thing About Making Movies, Oddly Enough, Is That They’re Sort of Highly Motivated Graduate Studies in One or Another Field. If I Make a Film About 1850 in America, and Mountain Men, Let’s Say, I Spend a Year Researching Like Crazy Until I Know Exactly Who You Make a Trap for a Beaver, What Did a Beaver Pelt Cost, How Long Could You Go up into the Mountains, What Roots Could You Eat, What Roots Couldn’t You Eat, What Was Poison, What Wasn’t Poison. I’m Going to Read Every Book There Was, I Read All the Journals of Jim Bridger, and These Guys Who Got Mauled by Grizzly Bears, Read All Kinds of Stuff About the Indians, and What the Tribes Were and What the Various Characteristics Were. so When I Finish That Picture I’ve Done a Sort of Graduate Course in That Field, in That Area, That’s Highly Motivated.
Burt Lancaster Was Largely Responsible for Me Becoming a Director. and I’m Going Down to Union Settlement, to Do a Tribute for Him, Because a New Book Has Just Come Out About Him.
Television Was the Only Training Ground When I Started. We Were Stuck in a Catch-22 Then. Nobody Would Give You a Job Unless They Saw Your Work, and Nobody Could See Your Work Unless They Gave You a Job. It Cost Too Much Money and Was Too Big a Gamble to Let Someone Direct a Movie Without Any Proof They Could Do It, so It Was Very Hard to Get That First Break. Today You Can Shoot a Whole Movie with a Fairly Inexpensive Digital Camera and Edit It on Your Home Computer. and They Can Look Pretty Damn Good.
Timing Is a Big Thing with Actors. You Don’t Ever Want to Over-rehearse, but You Don’t Want Them Under-prepared Either. Part of the Trick Is Knowing When to Roll the Cameras. so Many Times I’ll See a Performance Peak During the Rehearsal Process and They Never Quite Get It Back. That’s Why I’d Rather Be Rolling Early.
I Didn’t Believe That I’d Ever Be Lucky Enough to Be Able to Make a Living as an Actor. and as a Matter of Fact, I Never Did Until I Gave up Acting, That’s the Irony of Life. But, I Went Away to New York, and I Went to a Very Good Acting School, by Sheer Luck, Not Because I Was Smart or Knew About It. I Studied with a Man Named Sanford Meisner, and I Studied Dance with Martha Graham, and All These People Taught at This Wonderful School Called the Neighborhood Playhouse. It Was Extraordinary and I Just Sort of Fell into It. and I Came Back After Two Years There, I Was 19 Years Old When I Finished, and I Became Meissner’s Assistant, so I Was Like a Coach. and I Taught Acting for Years, and Without Knowing It That Was the Real Thing That Started Bending Me Toward Directing.
There’s No Question That a Good Script Is an Absolutely Essential, Maybe the Essential Thing for a Movie. But, They Say That It’s a Director’s Medium Because All of the Major Decisions Are Made by the Director, Including Who the Writer Is Most of the Time, or Whether the Writer Will Be Rewritten. I Mean, There Isn’t a Single Decision Really, Unless You’re a Beginning Director and You Have a Very Strong Producer Who Is a Creative Producer, Who’s Going to Make Those Decisions, and That Can Happen, Not Often but It Can. But, Normally the Director Decides Things Like Cast, Where You’ll Shoot, When You’ll Shoot, Is It Going to Be a Long Shot, Is It Going to Be a Close Shot, Is It Going to Go Round and Round the People, Who’s Going to Play the Part, How Fast Are They Going to Talk, What’s the Pacing of the Scene, What Are They Going to Wear, Where Are You Going to Shoot It. All Those Decisions Are Directorial Decisions, Just as They Are in the Editing Room.
Look at the Influence It Has, Look at the Economics It Commands, Look at the Preoccupation in All Cultures of the World, Look at Its Power to Spread Ideas, Look at It as a Political Tool, Look at It as Entertainment, No Matter What Point of View You Look at It from It Would Be Hard, Other Than the Internet, Let’s Say, to Find Something That’s Changed and Affected the World Strongly. I Mean, Certainly It’s the Single Biggest Event, I Think, in Terms of Popular Entertainment, or Art Even, If You Say That, of the 20Th Century. It’s Been Film. It’s the 20Th Century’s Real Art Form.
Essentially, When You Do a Play, You’re Reinterpreting a Work of Art That Already Exists. That’s Not What Happens with a Movie. with a Movie You’re Creating from the Beginning This Particular Work, Let’s Not Call It Work of Art, Because Very Few Movies Are Works of Art, Let’s Just Call Them Bits of Popular Culture, Whatever They Are, Sometimes Very Rarely by Accident a Movie Becomes a Work of Art. You Know, They Don’t Start Out That Way. They May Start Out That Way in the Mind of the Film Makers, but from a Studio Point of View They’re Product.
Film Is the One Art Form That Combines All Art Forms. Every Single Art Form Is Involved in Film, in a Way. I Mean, Certainly Writing, Painting, Photography, Dance, Architecture, There Is an Aspect of Almost Every Art Form That Is Useful and That Merges into Film in Some Way. Film Is a Collective Experience, as You Know. Reading a Novel of a Private Experience, Very, Very Different, the Nature of It Is Very Different. the Reader Supplies All of the Finishing Touches in a Novel. Exactly How the Character Looks Is up to You. Exactly How the Character Sounds Is up to You. Exactly the Way They Make Love in a Novel Is Really up to You, I Don’t Care What’s Described. None of That Is up to You in a Film. Every Little Bit Is Given to You.

Did you know?

FACTS · 26

Little-known facts about Sydney Pollack — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

Pollack was an accomplished jazz pianist.
He battled cancer for almost nine months at the time of his death.
His son Steven was one of three occupants of a light plane killed when the aircraft crashed into a carport in Santa Monica, California, on November 26, 1993.
Kate Winslet dedicated her first Oscar win to Sydney Pollack and his partner Anthony Minghella following their deaths.
He was the original choice to direct Dirty Harry 1971.
Pollack directed 12 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Jane Fonda, Gig Young, Susannah York, Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman, Melinda Dillon, Jessica Lange, Dustin Hoffman, Teri Garr, Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer, and Holly Hunter. Young and Lange won Oscars for their roles in Pollack’s films.
He was lifelong friends with Robert Redford after both made their feature film acting debuts in War Hunt 1962.
He filmed Aretha Franklin’s gospel album Amazing Grace live in 1972.
Pollack brought a lawsuit against Danish TV for pan-and-scanning Three Days of the Condor 1975 in 1991; the court ruled the panning was a mutilation but ruled for the defendant on a technicality.
He won the John Huston Award in 2000, presented by Tom Cruise on behalf of the Directors Guild of America, as a defender of artists’ rights.
Pollack produced or executive produced five Best Picture Oscar nominees: Tootsie 1982, Out of Africa 1985, Sense and Sensibility 1995, Michael Clayton 2007, and The Reader 2008. Out of Africa won Best Picture.
Among the 100 best American love movies ranked by AFI in June 2002, Pollack is the only director with two films near the top: The Way We Were 1973 at #6 and Out of Africa 1985 at #13.
He had three children: Steven 1959–1993, Rebecca born 1964, and Rachel born 1969.
His daughter Rebecca served as vice president of film production at United Artists during the late 1990s.
The Electric Horseman 1979 was his last scope film for a long period; he switched to full frame due to fears about pan-and-scan home video transfers, then returned to scope for The Interpreter 2005.
Pollack owned and flew a Cessna Citation 750 jet.
He directed and won an Oscar for Out of Africa 1985, based on Isak Dinesen’s book beginning I had a farm in Africa; he executive produced The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency 2008, based on a book by Alexander McCall Smith that deliberately references Dinesen’s opening line.
In 2000, he co-founded Mirage Enterprises with Anthony Minghella.
He was the first choice to direct The Saint 1997.
One of his directed films, Tootsie 1982, has been selected for the National Film Registry.
He served as president of the jury at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival and as a jury member in 1973.
He supervised the English-language version of Visconti’s The Leopard, with Burt Lancaster and Leslie French dubbing themselves.
Pollack was an alumnus of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
Health concerns surfaced in 2007 when he withdrew from directing HBO’s Recount.
He was the brother of costume designer Bernie Pollack.
He was born on the same date as actress Jean Marsh.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 42

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Sydney Pollack.

When was Sydney Pollack born?

Sydney Pollack was born on July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
Where was Sydney Pollack born?

He was born in Lafayette, Indiana, USA. His parents were Rebecca and David Pollack, and his grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants.
When did Sydney Pollack die?

Sydney Pollack died on May 26, 2008. He was 73 years old at the time of his death.
How old was Sydney Pollack when he died?

He was 73 years old when he died on May 26, 2008. He had battled stomach cancer for nine months.
Where did Sydney Pollack die?

He died at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, USA. The cause of death was stomach cancer.
How did Sydney Pollack die?

Sydney Pollack died of stomach cancer after battling the disease for nine months. He passed away at his home in Pacific Palisades on May 26, 2008.
What was Sydney Pollack's birth name?

His full birth name was Sydney Irwin Pollack. He was also known by aliases like Sidney Pollack and Syd Pollack.
What was Sydney Pollack's height?

He was 6 feet tall 1.82 meters.
What was Sydney Pollack known for?

He is best known for directing Tootsie 1982 and Out of Africa 1985, for which he won Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture. He also acted in films like Eyes Wide Shut and TV shows like The Sopranos.
Was Sydney Pollack married?

Yes, he was married to Claire Griswold from September 22, 1958 until his death on May 26, 2008. They met when he was her acting teacher at the Neighborhood Playhouse.
Did Sydney Pollack have children?

Yes, he had three children: Steven born 1959, died 1993, Rebecca born 1964, and Rachel born 1969. Steven died in a plane crash in Santa Monica.
Did Sydney Pollack have siblings?

He had one sibling, a brother named Bernie Pollack, who worked as a costume designer. Bernie is known for his work in film.
Who were Sydney Pollack's parents?

His parents were Rebecca Miller Pollack, a homemaker, and David Pollack, a professional boxer turned pharmacist. His mother died when he was 16.
What nationality was Sydney Pollack?

He was an American citizen. He was born in Indiana and lived most of his life in the United States.
What language did Sydney Pollack speak?

His native language was English. He worked primarily in American film and television.
What did Sydney Pollack do for a living?

He was a director, producer, and actor. He directed and produced over 40 films and also appeared in many as an actor.
Where did Sydney Pollack go to school?

He studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre under Sanford Meisner from 1952 to 1954. He later studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
What awards did Sydney Pollack win?

He won two Academy Awards for Out of Africa Best Director and Best Picture, a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama, a Berlinale Camera, a National Board of Review Award, and a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.
Did Sydney Pollack serve in the military?

Yes, he served two years in the United States Army between his studies at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He returned to the Playhouse after his service to teach acting.
How many Oscar nominations did Sydney Pollack receive?

He received 12 Oscar nominations over his career. He won twice: Best Director and Best Picture for Out of Africa 1985.
What was Sydney Pollack's first movie?

His feature film acting debut was in War Hunt 1962, where he met Robert Redford. His directorial debut was The Slender Thread 1965.
Did Sydney Pollack work with Robert Redford?

Yes, they worked together on seven films, including This Property Is Condemned 1966, The Way We Were 1973, Three Days of the Condor 1975, and Out of Africa 1985. They remained lifelong friends.
What is Tootsie about?

Tootsie 1982 is a comedy about an actor who disguises himself as a woman to get a job on a soap opera. Pollack directed and also acted in the film, and it was nominated for ten Oscars.
What is Out of Africa about?

Out of Africa 1985 is a romantic drama based on the memoir of Isak Dinesen about her life in Kenya. It stars Robert Redford and Meryl Streep and won seven Oscars.
Did Sydney Pollack produce any films?

Yes, he produced or executive produced five Best Picture nominees: Tootsie 1982, Out of Africa 1985, Sense and Sensibility 1995, Michael Clayton 2007, and The Reader 2008.
What was the last film Sydney Pollack directed?

His last directorial effort was The Interpreter 2005, starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. It was the first film shot inside the United Nations Headquarters.
Did Sydney Pollack win a Primetime Emmy?

Yes, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. This was for his work on television.
Was Sydney Pollack involved in film preservation?

He was a defender of artists’ rights and received the John Huston Award in 2000. He also sued Danish TV over pan-and-scan mutilation of Three Days of the Condor.
What is Sydney Pollack's legacy?

He is remembered as a versatile director who balanced critical acclaim with popular success. His films like Tootsie and Out of Africa remain classics, and he mentored many actors and filmmakers.
Which actors did Sydney Pollack direct to Oscar-nominated performances?

He directed 12 actors to Oscar-nominated performances, including Jane Fonda, Paul Newman, Jessica Lange, Dustin Hoffman, and Meryl Streep. Two of them, Gig Young and Jessica Lange, won Oscars.
Did Sydney Pollack have any other talents?

He was an accomplished jazz pianist. He also owned and flew a Cessna Citation 750 jet.
What was John Huston Award?

The John Huston Award is given by the Directors Guild of America to honor those who defend artists’ rights. Pollack received it in 2000, presented by Tom Cruise.
How many children did Sydney Pollack have?

He had three children: Steven b. 1959, d. 1993, Rebecca b. 1964, and Rachel b. 1969. His daughter Rebecca worked as a film executive at United Artists.
Did Sydney Pollack have any siblings?

Yes, he had a brother named Bernie Pollack, who became a costume designer. Bernie worked on many films.
What was the cause of Sydney Pollack's son's death?

His son Steven died in a plane crash on November 26, 1993, in Santa Monica, California. He was one of three occupants of a light plane that crashed into a carport.
Did Sydney Pollack ever appear in The Sopranos?

Yes, he played Dr. Warren Feldman in an episode of The Sopranos 1999. He also appeared in Entourage as himself.
What is the opening line of Out of Africa?

The film is based on Isak Dinesen’s memoir, which begins I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills. Pollack’s production of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency also referenced this line.
Did Sydney Pollack direct any comedies?

Yes, he directed the comedy Tootsie 1982, which was a major critical and commercial success. He also directed The Electric Horseman 1979, which has comedic elements.
What was Sydney Pollack's first acting role?

His first feature film acting role was in War Hunt 1962. He later acted in many of his own films and in projects by other directors.
Who dedicated their Oscar to Sydney Pollack?

Kate Winslet dedicated her first Oscar win for The Reader, 2008 to Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, both of whom died shortly before.
What was Sydney Pollack's connection to Aretha Franklin?

He filmed Aretha Franklin’s gospel album Amazing Grace live in 1972. The concert footage was later released as a documentary.
Did Sydney Pollack serve as a jury member at Cannes?

Yes, he was a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973 and served as president of the jury in 1986.

View all 42 questions View fewer questions

Audited & updated by

Emma has 8 years of editorial experience and a very clear idea of what a good biography looks like. At Famousy, she runs the editorial operation and decides what meets the bar and what doesn't. She's the kind of editor who remembers the profiles she pushed back on more clearly than the ones she approved. That's not a complaint. That's exactly why the site reads the way it does.

Published on September 23, 2026

Report an issue

If something on this page looks off, we genuinely want to know about it. Send us a quick email with the celebrity's name, the detail that seems incorrect, and any sources you're referencing. We review every report and update the page as soon as we can.

Report an issue