Mark Rydell, the Oscar-nominated director behind The Rose (1979) and On Golden Pond (1981), has died at the age of 97. His daughter, Amy, told The Hollywood Reporter that he died of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills on Thursday (13 August).
Career spanning decades
Born in 1929 in New York, Rydell attended the Juilliard School of Music before turning to acting, studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and at the Actors Studio. He appeared in Crime in the Streets (1957), Punchline (1988), and Havana (1990), while directing various TV and film projects.
His TV credits include episodes of The Phil Silvers Show (1955), Mr Novak (1964), and The Reporter. On the big screen, he directed The Fox (1967), The Cowboys (1972), Cinderella Liberty (1973), and On Golden Pond, the latter earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Director.
Tributes from colleagues
Bette Midler, who worked with Rydell on The Rose, paid tribute: "Mark Rydell, the director of my first film, The Rose, died this morning. He was an actor of note before he became a director, and I was so lucky to have met him when I did; he taught me so much on The Rose and later on For The Boys. Two Oscars nominations, both because of him. He was the actor's whisperer; just a few words was all it took to understand what was needed. Devoted to Meisner. So many happy memories. RIP. #MarkRydell. #therose #fortheboys @directorsguild @sagaftra."
Cam McHarg, star of Zero (2024), recalled: "I was never an official member, but I was lucky enough to be admitted as observer at The Actor's Studio in Los Angeles for a couple of years when Martin Landau and Mark Rydell both led and taught classes, and I'll forever be grateful for it. I remember sitting there with the likes of Al Pacino and others of that ilk and feeling like a fraud about to be discovered and kicked out at any moment. It was amazing. Thank you, and RIP Mark Rydell."
