Film-maker Sydney Pollack has died of cancer at the age of 73. Yet another great name from the world of cinema to have passed through the pearly gates this year.

Pollack's biggest success was with Tootsie back in 1982 which is reputed to had earned him $14m within a year of its release. This was not bad for the man who started out as a dialogue director on John Frankenheimer's The Young Stranger at the age of 25.

Sydney Pollack went on to work with the finest actors in Hollywood and produced many magnificent films, including; The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), The Talented Mr Ripley (1999), The Quiet American (2002), Cold Mountain (2003) and Michael Clayton (2007). He produced quality pieces of art and he "never insulted an audience's intelligence, if on occasion he strained their patience." - So one media obit reads today.

Sydney Irwin Pollack, film producer, director and actor, born July 1 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana, to Russian-American parents, Pollack went to high school in South Bend, where he fell in love with theatre. Rather than going to college, he went straight to the Neighbourhood Playhouse school of the theatre in New York. Army service was the only minor interruption plus a small Broadway debut. His next step was to return back to teach drama and then he went onto act and direct episodes of Ben Casey, The Defenders, Dr Kildare and The Fugitive.

He graduated to the big screen with War Hunt (1962), which starred Robert Redford in his debut. His first feature though was, The Slender Thread (1965), a factual based story with Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft. This Property is Condemned (1966), came next followed by The Swimmer (1968), a film starring Burt Lancaster. This led onto a western called, The Scalphunters (1968), and then a complete flop by the name of Castle Keep (1969); well we all have them, even superstar film director/producers!

Another 1969 film was They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Set within a depression era dance marathon, this movie became a rather large success and Pollack moved on to direct a couple of what were to become classic Pollack/Redford films next (there were seven in total); Jeremiah Johnson (1972) and The Way We Were (1974). Barbra Streisand appeared in the later singing the theme tune and making it infamous for differing reasons. So what was next? The Yakuza (1975) with Robert Mitchum, Three Days Of The Condor (also 1975), with Redford, Bobby Deerfield (1977) with Al Pacino. Ah The Electric Horseman (1979) - Who could forget this film! Absence Of Malice (1981), this starred Paul Newman and Sally Field. We then have Tootsie of course which received TEN Oscar nominations and came second to ET at the box office.

Three years later Pollack won best director and best film Oscars for Out Of Africa, starring Redford and Meryl Streep. Havana followed (1990) and again starred Redford but was a box office flop this time. John Grisham's thriller The Firm (1993), starring Tom Cruise was next out of the bag and a much safer hit. The man was a one hit movie making machine and went on to direct Sabrina (1995) and Random Hearts (1999).

In recent years, Pollack has moved towards productions and has worked on films such as Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Cold Mountain, Iris (2001), The Interpreter (2005) The man has even appeared in episodes of Will and Grace!

Sydney Pollack's last film was to have been Recount, a film about Florida's hanging chads, by a 30-year-old actor writing his first screenplay.

A man of brilliance and humour now no longer here.