Mark Rydell, the Oscar-nominated director known for "On Golden Pond" and "The Rose," has died at the age of 97. His daughter, Amy Rydell, confirmed his death to The Hollywood Reporter, stating he died of natural causes on Thursday, August 13, at a retirement community for the entertainment industry in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.
Family and colleagues pay tribute
Amy Rydell posted on Instagram on Friday: "Hard to put into words how much I loved my dad. He was truly one of a kind. Funniest and most talented person I've ever known."
Bette Midler, who starred in Rydell's 1979 film "The Rose," also paid tribute on Instagram, sharing photos of him on set. She wrote: "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."
Career highlights and Oscar nominations
Rydell directed "On Golden Pond," which starred Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, and Jane Fonda. The film was nominated for 10 Oscars, with Fonda and Hepburn winning acting honors and the screenplay award going to Ernest Thompson. Rydell was nominated for Best Director but lost to Warren Beatty for "Reds." The film grossed over $119 million at the box office, making it the second-highest grossing film of 1981 behind "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
His other Oscar-nominated films included "The Fox" (1967), "The Reivers" (1969), "Cinderella Liberty" (1973), "The Rose" (1979), and "The River" (1984).
Born Mortimer Harold Rydell on March 23, 1929, in New York City, he studied at the Juilliard School of Music and later at New York University. He began acting on Broadway and in films before moving into directing. He directed episodes of television series such as "Mr. Novak," "Ben Casey," "I Spy," "The Wild Wild West," "The Long, Hot Summer," "The Fugitive," and "Gunsmoke."
Directorial debut and later work
His feature-film directorial debut was "The Fox" in 1967. He went on to direct Steve McQueen in "The Reivers" (1969), John Wayne in "The Cowboys" (1972), and James Caan in "Harry and Walter Go to New York" (1976). He also directed "For the Boys" in 1991, reuniting with Caan and Midler.
Rydell's final film acting credits included roles in Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye" (1973) and Woody Allen's "Hollywood Ending" (2002).
