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Sydney Pollack, actor & director
Actor & Director

Sydney Pollack: Movies, Awards & Box Office

films
53
as director
20
on screen
1962–2019
box office
$1.17B
award win
1
Born
July 1, 1934
Birthplace
Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.
Full name
Sydney Irwin Pollack
Citizenship
United States
Occupations
Film director, Producer, Actor
Years active
1955-2008
Spouses
Claire Bradley Griswold
Children
3
Career at a glance

Sydney Pollack's Career in Numbers

Sydney Pollack's films in numbers — as an actor and a director, not counting appearances as themselves: when they were made, the genres Sydney Pollack works in most and the milestones along the way. The filmography runs from War Hunt (1962) to Sketches of Frank Gehry (2006), and the 1970s were the busiest decade.

Sydney Pollack Movies by Decade

  1. 1960s 5
  2. 1970s 6
  3. 1980s 3
  4. 1990s 5
  5. 2000s 5

The 1970s were Sydney Pollack's busiest decade, with 6 films.

Sydney Pollack Movies by Genre

  • Drama 13
  • Biography 2
  • Documentary 2
  • Romance 2
  • Tv movie 1
  • Mystery 1
  • Crime 1
  • Adventure 1
  • War 1

Drama is the genre Sydney Pollack has worked in most, with 13 films, ahead of biography (2).

Sydney Pollack Career Milestones

First film
War Hunt 1962
Biggest box office hit
The Firm $270M worldwide
Newest film
Sketches of Frank Gehry 2006
53 credits

Sydney Pollack Filmography: Every Movie

Every film Sydney Pollack is credited on, newest first, with the role, the box office and the Movie Echo Score. 20 as director and 4 as actor. Re-order the list to see the best-rated films or the biggest hits first.

Sydney Pollack in Documentaries & Specials

29
  1. 2019 Babenco: Tell Me When I Die (2019) movie poster Babenco: Tell Me When I Die as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  2. 2014 The Story of The Swimmer (2014) movie poster The Story of The Swimmer as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  3. 2014 And the Oscar Goes To… (2014) movie poster And the Oscar Goes To… as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  4. 2009 Char·ac·ter (2009) movie poster Char·ac·ter as Self · Documentary
  5. 2008 A Better Man: The Making of ‘Tootsie’ (2008) movie poster A Better Man: The Making of ‘Tootsie’ as Self · Documentary
  6. 2007 View from the Overlook: Crafting ‘The Shining’ (2007) movie poster View from the Overlook: Crafting ‘The Shining’ as Self · Documentary
  7. 2007 The Visions of Stanley Kubrick (2007) movie poster The Visions of Stanley Kubrick as Self · Documentary
  8. 2007 Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick (2007) movie poster Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick as Self · Documentary
  9. 2007 Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making ‘A Clockwork Orange’ (2007) movie poster Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making ‘A Clockwork Orange’ as Self · Documentary
  10. 2007 Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 (2007) movie poster Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 as Self · Documentary
  11. 2007 Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 (2007) movie poster Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 as Self · Documentary
  12. 2006 Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light (2006) movie poster Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light as Self · Documentary
  13. 2006 Boffo! Tinseltown’s Bombs and Blockbusters (2006) movie poster Boffo! Tinseltown’s Bombs and Blockbusters as Self · Documentary
  14. 2005 One Six Right (2005) movie poster One Six Right as Himself · Documentary
  15. 2005 Filmmakers in Action (2005) movie poster Filmmakers in Action as Self · Documentary
  16. 2005 Filmmakers vs. Tycoons (2005) movie poster Filmmakers vs. Tycoons as Self · Documentary
  17. 2004 A Dying Breed: The Making of ‘The Leopard’ (2004) movie poster A Dying Breed: The Making of ‘The Leopard’ as Self · Documentary
  18. 2004 Barbra Streisand: The Concert - Live at the MGM Grand (2004) movie poster Barbra Streisand: The Concert - Live at the MGM Grand as Self · Music
  19. 2002 AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Passions: America’s Greatest Love Stories (2002) movie poster AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Passions: America’s Greatest Love Stories as Self · Documentary
  20. 2001 Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001) movie poster Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures as Self · Documentary
  21. 1999 The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (1999) movie poster The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ as Self · Documentary
  22. 1999 The Way We Were: Looking Back (1999) movie poster The Way We Were: Looking Back as Self · Documentary
  23. 1996 Burt Lancaster: Daring to Reach (1996) movie poster Burt Lancaster: Daring to Reach as Self · Documentary
  24. 1991 Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star (1991) movie poster Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star as Self · Documentary
  25. 1989 Broadway’s Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre (1989) movie poster Broadway’s Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre as Himself · Tv movie
  26. 1988 Hello Actors Studio (1988) movie poster Hello Actors Studio as Self · Documentary
  27. 1986 Barbra Streisand: One Voice (1986) movie poster Barbra Streisand: One Voice as Self - Audience Member (uncredited) · Documentary
  28. 1986 Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album (1986) movie poster Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album as Himself · Music
  29. 1973 The Men Who Made the Movies: King Vidor (1973) movie poster The Men Who Made the Movies: King Vidor as Self - Narrator (voice) · Documentary
1 win · 11 nominations

Sydney Pollack: Awards & Nominations

1 win from 11 nominations across 4 award bodies, from 1970 to 1986. That includes an Oscar: Best Director for Out of Africa. Every ceremony is listed newest first, with the category and the film.

All movie awards
  • Oscars logo Oscars 1 win from 3 nominations
  • DGA Awards logo DGA Awards 3 nominations
  • Golden Globes logo Golden Globes 3 nominations
  • BAFTA logo BAFTA 2 nominations
Biography

Who Is Sydney Pollack?

Sydney Pollack was born in Lafayette, Indiana, U.S. in 1934. Credited on films since 1962, as both an actor and a director. The background, training and the roles that shaped the career.

Sydney Irwin Pollack was an eminent American film director, producer, and actor who was renowned for directing commercially and critically acclaimed studio films. He was active in his career for over four decades, during which he received countless accolades including two Academy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and six BAFTA Awards. Pollack's glorious directorial spectrum includes some of the greatest films like Out of Africa, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Tootsie, Jeremiah Johnson, The Way We Were, Three Days of the Condor, Absence of Malice, The Firm, and Sabrina. He garnered his first Oscar nomination for the film 'They Shoot Horses, Don't They?' and his second for 'Tootsie'. For his masterpiece film 'Out of Africa' starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, Pollack was rewarded with Academy Awards for directing and producing.

Outside directing, he produced and acted in films such as Michael Clayton, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Sense and Sensibility, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Iris, Cold Mountain, and The Reader. As an actor, he made appearances in films like The Player, Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives, and Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. Though Pollack commenced his acting career in the late '90s, he made a significant impact and often portrayed characters that were corrupt or morally conflicted power figures. His final non-documentary directorial film was The Interpreter. Pollack's last role was in the romantic comedy 'Made of Honor', in which he played Patrick Dempsey's father. The movie was playing in theaters when he passed away. As a producer, Pollack launched many films that were successful both critically and commercially, such as The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Michael Clayton.

Works with

Who Sydney Pollack Makes Movies With

The actors and directors Sydney Pollack shares the most films with. Robert Redford comes first, with 9 films together, followed by Steven Spielberg (8).

FAQ

Sydney Pollack: Questions & Answers

How many movies Sydney Pollack has made, the biggest hit, the best-rated film, the award record and more, answered from the filmography above.

How many movies has Sydney Pollack been in?

Sydney Pollack is credited on 53 films, from 1962 to 2019. 4 of them as an actor and 20 as a director. The filmography on this page lists every one of them, newest first, with the role and the Movie Echo Score.

What is Sydney Pollack's highest-grossing movie?

The Firm (1993) is Sydney Pollack's biggest box office hit, with $270M worldwide, ahead of Out of Africa (1985) ($228M). Across every film with box office figures, Sydney Pollack's movies have made $1.17B.

Sydney Pollack's biggest hits

Has Sydney Pollack won an Oscar?

Sydney Pollack has won an Oscar: Best Director for Out of Africa at the 1986 ceremony. Across every ceremony in the awards database, Sydney Pollack has 1 win from 11 nominations.

What is Sydney Pollack's newest movie?

The most recent film on Sydney Pollack's filmography is Babenco: Tell Me When I Die (2019), in the role of Self (archive footage).

Who does Sydney Pollack work with most often?

Sydney Pollack shares the most films with Robert Redford (9 films), Steven Spielberg (8 films) and Barbra Streisand (7 films).

The Best Sydney Pollack Movies, Ranked

Top rated, most awarded and biggest box office hits from 53 credits.

See the ranking

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