Tributes Pour In For Sydney Pollack

Tributes from Hollywood's biggest names have poured in for director and actor Sydney Pollack, who died of cancer on Monday (May 26) aged 73. Publicist Leslie Dart made the announcement, explaining that the Oscar winner was diagnosed with cancer about nine months ago. Pollack, who started his directing career in 1965, recently directed and starred alongside George Clooney in 'Michael Clayton'. "Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better. A tip of the hat to a class act. He'll be missed terribly," Clooney said. Sally Field also paid tribute to her 'Abscence of Malice' co-star, saying, "Having the opportunity to know Sydney and work with him was a great gift in my life. He was a good friend and a phenomenal director and I will cherish every moment that I ever spent with him." Pollack, who won the Best Director Oscar for the 1986 film 'Out of Africa', also featured in an ongoing role in television's 'Will and Grace' as the father of Will Truman (Eric McCormack). The Directors Guild of America paid tribute to one of their own in a statement, saying, "Sydney let the dialogue and the emotion of a scene speak for itself. Not given to cinematic tricks, his gentle and thoughtful touch and his focus on the story let us inhabit the world he created in each film." Pollack passed away in his Los Angeles home, surrounded by his wife Claire and two daughters Rebecca and Rachael.Photo courtesy of THINKFilm.