Photo: Arthur from Westchester County north of NYC, USA, at Arthur@NYCArthur.com / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Sydney Pollack is one of those filmmakers I genuinely miss — not just as a director, but as a presence in Hollywood that stood for a certain kind of adult seriousness. Born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1934, he worked his way up through television before becoming the guy you trusted with big, sweeping stories about complicated people. Out of Africa is still stunning to me — it swept the 1986 Oscars with Best Picture and Best Director, and it deserved every bit of it. But I also love that he had a sly side with Tootsie and a thriller instinct with Three Days of the Condor. And then he'd pop up in front of the camera in small roles with this effortless, world-weary charm. He passed in 2008, and Hollywood has been a little less elegant without him ever since.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Sydney Pollack
- Name (Japanese)
- シドニー・ポラック
- Reading
- しどにー・ぽらっく
- Born
- July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Dog
- Origin
- Lafayette, Indiana, United States
- Height
- 182 cm
- Occupation
- film producer / actor / television actor / film actor / television director
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 1985 Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama
- 1986 Academy Award for Best Director
- 1986 Academy Award for Best Picture
- 1986 Berlinale Camera
- National Board of Review Award for Best Film
- 1966 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Out of Africa | — | |
| Notable work | Tootsie | — | |
| Notable work | Three Days of the Condor | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Sydney Pollack born?
July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008.
Where is Sydney Pollack from?
Sydney Pollack is from Lafayette, Indiana, United States.
What does Sydney Pollack do?
Sydney Pollack works as film producer, actor, television actor, film actor, television director.
How tall is Sydney Pollack?
Sydney Pollack is 182 cm.
What is Sydney Pollack known for?
Notable works include Out of Africa, Tootsie, Three Days of the Condor.
Film producer — see all → · Actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.