In Columbia Pictures’ Made of Honor, Tom (Patrick Dempsey, left) gets some words of advice from his father, Tom Sr. (Sydney Pollack, right). Photo By: Peter Iovino. ©2008 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Beverly Blvd LLC All Rights Reserved.

I was surprised and sorry to hear that we lost Sydney Pollack. I just saw him in a movie I rented–Avenue Montaigne (that’s the English title). I also saw Recount on HBO, a movie he produced. He has directed some of my favorite films, including The Way They Were. His enormous talent will be missed.

Even I had gotten the power his name had in Hollywood. “It’s a Sydney Pollack movie? Oh, it must be good.”

Sydney Pollack as Brian Sobinski in drama romance ‘Avenue Montaigne’ 2007