Paying tribute to Sidney Pollack...

It is so sad to learn about the death of director-actor-producer Sidney Pollack today. I saw "Made of Honor" last weekend which featured what I believe was his last film role as Patrick Dempsey's much-married dad. It was the kind of solid performance we came to expect of Mr. Pollack who is best known to many for his recurring role as the father of Will (Eric McCormack) on "Will & Grace." As an actor, he was also terrific in last year's "Michael Clayton," as Dustin Hoffman's agent in "Tootsie" and he was one of the best things about the strange "Eyes Wide Shut."
His greatest triumphs were as a director. He helmed two of my all-time favorites: "The Way We Were" and "Out of Africa." His other directorial credits included "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" "The Firm," "Tootsie," "Absence of Malice", "Three Days of the Condor," and the 1995 remake of "Sabrina."

He won two Oscars for directing and producing "Out of Africa" and was nominated this year as one of the producers of "Michael Clayton." He also won and Emmy for television directing.

What makes his death all the more sad is that Pollack still had so much going on, so much more to do. He was a producer of HBO's "Recount" which premiered just last night and had other projects in production.

May he rest in peace.

Here is some of one of his most memorable roles in "Tootsie" which he also directed: