Oscar-nominated director Mark Rydell, known for such films as “On Golden Pond” and “The Rose” and for guiding multiple actors to Academy Award nominations was being remembered Saturday for leaving an indelible imprint on cinema.
He died of natural causes Thursday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his daughter Amy told the Hollywood Reporter. He was 97.
“Hard to put into words how much I loved my Dad.” Amy Rydell said in a later Instagram post. “He was truly one of a kind. Funniest and most talented person I’ve ever known. I am so grateful to be his daughter.”
Bette Midler, who made her film debut in Rydell’s 1979 film “The Rose” and also starred in his “For the Boys” in 1991 — earning Oscar nominations for both performances — was among the first to note his death on Instagram.
“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,” she wrote. “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 [acting teacher Sanford] Meisner. So many happy memories. RIP. #MarkRydell.”
Other Rydell-directed Oscar nominees included Marsha Mason for 1973’s “Cinderella Liberty, Frederic Forrest for the “The Rose, Sissy Spacek in 1984’s “The River,” Rupert Crosse in “The Reivers” from 1969 with Steve McQueen and most famously Katharine Hepburn, Jane Fonda and Henry Fonda for “On Golden Pond” from 1981.
“Golden Pond,” about an aging couple trying to reconnect with their adult daughter, played by Jane Fonda, won the Academy Award for Best Picture and earned Rydell his only Oscar nomination. For Hepburn, it resulted in her fourth and final win. For Henry Fonda, it would be his only competitive Oscar win, coming just five months before he died on Aug. 12, 1982.
Rydell later recalled Jane Fonda asking him for an early screening of what would be the final movie for the ailing actor.
Afterward, an emotional Rydell recalled: “He whispered to me in my ear, `Thank you for the best thing that’s ever happened in my life,’ ” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
His longtime friend, the late “Inside the Actor’s Studio” host James Lipton, praised Rydell as an “actor’s director.”
“There are few directors who really understand and who can encourage the actor, and when the actor needs guidance can give it to the actor in terms other than `just stand up now and walk two paces’ — all of those dumb directions.”
Those sentiments were echoed on Instagram by actress Lesley Ann Warren, who appeared in Rydell’s 1976 film “Harry and Walter Go to New York” and considered him a friend.
“It was always a joy to be around him,” she wrote. “He understood at the deepest level what actors need to propel them to express the writer’s vision, their own and ultimately, the director’s. I adored him and his ever present twinkle. I am forever grateful to have known and loved him. R.I.P, Maestro.”
Others on social media celebrated Rydell’s skill directing emotionally driven, human-centric dramas. All told, his films garnered 26 Academy Award nominations, including eight for actor’s performances.
Born Mortimer H. Rydell in New York’s Bronx neighborhood, he studied at the Juilliard School of Music and began his career as a jazz musician before songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman suggested he give acting a try.
Rydell made his Broadway debut in 1952 and appeared on several TV dramas before landing a role on daytime’s “As the World Turns” in 1956.
He eventually left the show in 1962 and began directing such nighttime programs as “Ben Casey,” “The Fugitive” and “Gunsmoke.”
He made his feature film directorial debut with the 1967’s “The Fox” starring Sandy Dennis and Keir Dullea.
In 1972, he directed “The Cowboys,” a coming-of-age western starring John Wayne, a film the actor’s son, Ethan, told the magazine Cowboys and Indians was one of his father’s favorites.
“I feel like my father was an honest character in that movie,” the younger Wayne told the publication.
The Directors Guild of America, where Rydell had been a member since 1963 and served on its National Board from 1987 to 1991 was among those sharing their condolences and remembering his skills. “His contributions to the Guild and the craft of directing will be long remembered.”
Rydell never completely abandoned acting, appearing in films for fellow directors Robert Altman, Woody Allen and Sydney Pollack.
Both of his marriages ended in divorce. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by sons Christopher and Alexander; his sister, Judy Wagner; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.