1934 – 2008

One of the most talented and prolific men in Hollywood, Academy Award-winning director Sydney Pollack, died today, struck down by cancer.  He was 73.  As a director, his notable films include "The Firm", "Out of Africa", "Tootsie", "Absence of Malice", "Three Days of the Condor", and "The Way We Were".  As an actor, his credits include memorable roles in "Michael Clayton", "Eyes Wide Shut", "The Player", and "A Civil Action".  As a producer his films included "Michael Clayton", "Cold Mountain", "The Talented Mr. Ripley", "Sense and Sensibility", "Searching For Bobby Fisher", and "The Fabulous Baker Boys".  The New York Times says…

Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay as director, producer and sometime actor whose star-laden were among the most successful of the 1970s and '80s, died on Monday at his home in Los Angeles. Pollack's career defined an era in which big stars (Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Warren Beatty) and the filmmakers who knew how to wrangle them (Barry Levinson, Mike Nichols) retooled the Hollywood system. Savvy operators, they played studio against studio, staking their fortunes on pictures that served commerce without wholly abandoning art.Hollywood honored Pollack in return. His movies received multiple Academy Award nominations, and as a director he won an Oscar for his work on the 1985 film "Out of Africa" as well as nominations for directing "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (1969) and "Tootsie" (1982).

Is it just me or does 73 seem kind of young to die?  This isn't 1492, and it's not like he spent his days wrestling giant snakes.  I'm not gonna lie, I’m strangely bummed out about this.  He just seemed like a genuinely creative guy.  But he’s not the only one.  Look, I drew a picture of a doggy on a skateboard.