A former jazz pianist who appeared on Broadway and TV before beginning his directing career with series such as "Ben Casey," "I Spy" and "Gunsmoke", Rydell earned critical acclaim for his debut feature, "The Fox" (1968). He also won plaudits for his helming of "Cinderella Liberty" (1973) and "The Rose" (1979). "On Golden Pond" (1981), a typical film, in that it displayed its director's fondness for sentiment and nostalgia, earned him an Oscar nomination as Best Director. Rydell has subsequently made films only occasionally, some ("The River" 1984) doing fairly well with critics, while others ("Intersection" 1994 and the somewhat overly maligned "For the Boys" 1991) did less well with critics and public alike.
- Born:
March 23, 1934 in New York City, New York, USA
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Job Titles:
Director, Actor, Producer
Family
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Daughter: Amy Rydell.
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Son: Christopher Rydell. born c. 1963; played Bette Midler s son in Rydell s For the Boys (1991)
Significant Others
Education
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The Neigborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, New York, New York, acting
Milestones
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1956 Film acting debut in Crime in the Streets
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1963 Worked as TV director in Hollywood, beginning with Ben Casey
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1968 Directed first feature, The Fox
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1971 Produced first film, The Cowboys , which he also directed
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1973 Helmed Cinderella Liberty , co-starring James Caan and Marsha Mason; Mason received a Best Actress Oscar nomination
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1973 Played the violent Jewish mob kingpin, Marty Augustine in Robert Altman s The Long Goodbye
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1979 Directed Bette Midler to an Oscar nomination with The Rose
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1981 Received Academy Award nomination for Best Director for On Golden Pond ; stars Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn received Oscars as Best Actor and Best Actress
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1991 Reteamed with Midler and Caan for For the Boys ; Midler received her second Oscar nomination as Best Actress
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1994 Directed Intersection , starring Richard Gere and Sharon Stone
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1996 Helmed the HBO drama Crime of the Century , about the Lindbergh baby kidnapping
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2001 Appeared as Jack Warner in the TNT biopic James Dean ; also directed
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2002 Acted in Woody Allen s Hollywood Ending
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2007 Helmed Even Money, a crime film about three strangers who become addicted to gambling, starring Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, Kelsey Grammer, and Ray Liotta
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Appeared on CBS soap, As the World Turns, for six years
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Began career as jazz pianist in New York
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Broadway debut in Seagulls over Sorrento
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Formed Sanford Productions (film, TV) with Sidney Pollack