Sydney Pollack

Sydney Pollack in Rome to promote his final film, the documentary Sketches of Frank Gehry Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP

Caterina Boratto in a still from Pollack's unorthodox 1969 second world war tale Castle Keep Photograph: Colombia Filmways/Kobal

Robert Redford, Sydney Pollack and their wives arrive for the 1972 international film festival in Cannes, France Photograph: AP Photo/Levy/AP

Robert Redford, left, with Sydney Pollack, second from left, talk with pianist Arthur Rubinstein and his wife, Nela, at the 1972 Cannes international film festival on the French riviera Photograph: AP Photo/Levy/AP

Robert Redford in Pollack's 1979 comedy The Electric Horseman Photograph: Colombia/ Universal/Kobal

Pollack on the set of his Oscar-nominated 1981 romantic drama Absence of Malice, which starred Paul Newman and Sally Field Photograph: Reuters/Columbia Pictures/Reuters

Pollack with Dustin Hoffman on the set of 1982's Oscar-winning comedy Tootsie, in which the latter plays a desperate actor who cross-dresses to win a part Photograph: Colombia/Kobal

Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in Pollack's Oscar-winning 1985 film Out Of Africa Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/UNIVERSAL/Allstar

Meryl Streep in 1985's Out of Africa. The film won Sydney Pollack two Oscars, one for best direction and one for best film Photograph: Universal / Kobal Collection/Kobal

Tom Cruise in a still from Pollack's The Firm, a 1993 legal thriller based on the John Grisham novel, which was a critical and box office hit Photograph: Kobal Collection/Kobal

George Clooney and Sydney Pollack in a still from last year's Oscar nominated legal drama Michael Clayton Photograph: Kobal Collection/Kobal