LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Mark Rydell, the Oscar-nominated director of the sentimental blockbuster 鈥淥n Golden Pond鈥� who worked with such Hollywood heavyweights as Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Steve McQueen and John Wayne, has died. He was 97.
His daughter, Amy Rydell, told The Hollywood Reporter that her father died Thursday of natural causes at a retirement community for the entertainment industry in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles.
鈥淗ard to put into words how much I loved my dad,鈥� she posted Friday on her Instagram account. “He was truly one of a kind. Funniest and most talented person I鈥檝e ever known.鈥�
鈥極n Golden Pond鈥� earned 10 Oscar nominations
鈥淥n Golden Pond,鈥� which teamed Fonda with Hepburn and his daughter, Jane Fonda, was nominated for 10 Oscars. Henry Fonda and Hepburn won leading acting honors and the film won for screenplay, which Ernest Thompson adapted from his play of the same name. Rydell was nominated for directing but lost to Warren Beatty for 鈥淩eds.鈥�
It earned over $119 million at the box office, making it the second-highest grossing film of 1981 behind 鈥淩aiders of the Lost Ark.鈥�
鈥淥n Golden Pond鈥� was Henry Fonda鈥檚 final movie role. He starred as Norman Thayer, an emotionally brittle and distant father who becomes more accessible at the end of his life after his teenage grandson spends the summer with him and his wife, Ethel (played by Hepburn), at their cottage in New England. The film鈥檚 story resembled Fonda鈥檚 real-life relationship with daughter Jane, who said working on the movie together helped resolve some of their issues. The elder Fonda died at age 77 months after winning his only Oscar.
Rydell鈥檚 other Oscar-nominated films were 鈥淭he Fox鈥� in 1967, 鈥淭he Reivers鈥� with McQueen in 1969, 鈥淐inderella Liberty鈥� with James Caan and Marsha Mason in 1973, 鈥淭he Rose鈥� with Bette Midler in 1979, and 鈥淭he River鈥� with Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek in 1984.
Born Mortimer Harold Rydell on March 23, 1929, in New York City, he studied with jazz pianist Teddy Wilson at the Julliard School of Music. During a stint in the Army, he spent two years in Japan developing entertainment for military personnel. He majored in English and philosophy at New York University.
Early acting career opposite Steiger, Cassavetes, Mineo
He turned to acting when he won a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. Among his early roles were on the CBS soap operas 鈥淭he Edge of Night鈥� and 鈥淎s the World Turns.鈥�
Rydell made his Broadway debut in 鈥淪eagulls Over Sorrento鈥� with Rod Steiger. In 1956, he made his movie acting debut opposite John Cassavetes and Sal Mineo in Don Siegel鈥檚 鈥淐rime In The Streets.鈥�
Among his film acting credits were Robert Altman鈥檚 鈥淭he Long Goodbye鈥� in 1973 and Woody Allen鈥檚 鈥淗ollywood Ending鈥� in 2002.
Rydell moved into directing television, helming episodes of 鈥淢r. Novak,鈥� 鈥淏en Casey,” 鈥淚 Spy,鈥� 鈥淭he Wild Wild West,鈥� 鈥淭he Long, Hot Summer,鈥� 鈥淭he Fugitive鈥� and 鈥淕unsmoke.鈥�
He made his feature-film directorial debut with 1967鈥檚 鈥淭he Fox鈥� starring Sandy Dennis, and it was a hit.
Two years later, Rydell directed McQueen in the comedy-drama 鈥淭he Reivers.鈥�
Teaming with Sydney Pollack
Rydell and Sydney Pollack, who became friends during their acting days, formed Sanford Productions in 1971. Among their efforts were the films 鈥淛eremiah Johnson鈥� starring Robert Redford and 鈥淪carecrow鈥� with Al Pacino and Gene Hackman, which won the Cannes Film Festival鈥檚 top honor, the Palme d鈥橭r.
Rydell directed Wayne in 1972鈥檚 鈥淭he Cowboys.鈥� He reunited with Caan for the 1976 flop 鈥淗arry and Walter Go to New York.鈥�
He scored a major hit with 1979鈥檚 鈥淭he Rose,鈥� with Midler in her Oscar-nominated role as a self-destructive rock star loosely based on Janis Joplin.
Rydell re-teamed with Caan and Midler in 鈥淔or the Boys鈥� in 1991, but it wasn鈥檛 successful.
鈥淗e 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,鈥� Midler posted on Instagram. 鈥淭wo Oscars nominations both because of him. He was the actor鈥檚 whisperer; just a few words was all it took to understand what was needed. Devoted to Meisner. So many happy memories.鈥�
TV movies and series among his credits
Rydell directed the pilot of the hit ABC drama 鈥淔amily鈥� in 1976.
Among his TV movie directing credits were 鈥淢cBride and Groom,鈥� 鈥淐rime of the Century鈥� with Isabella Rossellini and Stephen Rea, and 鈥淛ames Dean,鈥� which earned actor James Franco a Golden Globe award. Rydell also appeared in the movie as Warner Bros. chief Jack Warner.
He directed the movies 鈥淚ntersection鈥� in 1994 and 鈥淓ven Money鈥� in 2006.
In 2009, Rydell, Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau and screenwriter Lyle Kessler taught a film workshop at UCLA. Rydell and Landau were co-artistic directors of The Actors Studio West, teaching and coaching actors, writers and directors.
鈥淎ll great art rests on telling the truth,鈥� Rydell told UCLA鈥檚 student newspaper The Daily Bruin. 鈥淭he real pursuit of an artist is to tell the truth.鈥�
Besides his daughter, he is survived by son Christopher. The siblings who went into acting were from his first marriage to actor Joanne Linville. He had another son, Alexander, from his second marriage to producer Esther Rydell.
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