Mark Rydell, the acclaimed director of Hollywoodreporter and Variety, has died at the age of 97 according to reports from Los Angeles. His death from natural causes was confirmed by his daughter, Amy Rydell, and announced on Instagram by singer and actress Thewrap. Rydell built an extensive career bridging television and feature films, earning a reputation as an actor’s director who guided multiple performers to Academy Award nominations and wins.
Mark Rydell Dies at 97: Career of the Oscar-Nominated Director and Actor
Born Mortimer H. Rydell in the Bronx on March 23, 1929, he initially trained as a musician at the Juilliard School with aspirations of becoming a conductor before shifting his focus to acting according to historical accounts of his early life. He studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre under Sanford Meisner and subsequently established himself as a working television and stage actor. In the late 1950s, he starred as Jeff Baker on the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns, helping drive the program to the top of the ratings before transitioning into television directing in the 1960s.
Directing Breakthroughs and Iconic Collaborations
After helming episodes of various television series, Rydell made his feature film directing debut with 1967’s Deadline, an adaptation of a D.H. Lawrence novella starring Sandy Dennis, Anne Heywood, and Keir Dullea. He subsequently directed prominent stars in a string of major studio releases, including Steve McQueen in Deadline, John Wayne in Variety, and James Caan alongside Marsha Mason in Hollywoodreporter.
In 1979, Rydell directed Thewrap, a musical drama loosely inspired by the life of Janis Joplin that served as Bette Midler’s film debut. The picture earned four Academy Award nominations, including a best actress nod for Midler and a supporting actor nomination for Frederic Forrest. Midler later reflected on his guidance, writing on Instagram that Mark Rydell, the director or my first film, The Rose, died this morning,
and praising him as an actor’s whisperer
who was deeply devoted to Meisner’s teachings according to her published statement.
Signature Achievement With On Golden Pond
Rydell’s greatest commercial and critical success arrived with Variety in 1981, an adaptation of Ernest Thompson’s stage drama. The film brought Rydell his sole Academy Award nomination for Best Director and featured iconic performances from Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, and Jane Fonda according to film records. The project marked the final film role for Henry Fonda, who won the competitive best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Norman Thayer Jr., while Katharine Hepburn secured an unprecedented fourth best actress Oscar, and Jane Fonda earned a supporting actress nomination.
Across his career, eight different actors received Oscar nominations under his direction: Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Bette Midler, Marsha Mason, Katharine Hepburn, Sissy Spacek, Frederic Forrest, and Rupert Crosse according to historical tallies. His later directorial and production work included Deadline, Variety, the television movie Thatericalper, and the 2006 gambling drama Thewrap.
Family and Survivors
Rydell was married twice, first to actress Joanne Linville from 1962 to 1973, with whom he shared two children, Amy and Christopher according to biographical records. His second marriage to documentarian and producer Esther Rydell produced a son, Alexander according to family details. He is survived by his three children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren according to published notices.
