Mark Rydell, Director of ‘On Golden Pond,’ Dies at 97
Mark Rydell, the Oscar-nominated director best known for the sentimental blockbuster “On Golden Pond,” has died at the age of 97. Rydell passed away Thursday of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, his daughter Amy Rydell confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Hard to put into words how much I loved my dad,” Amy Rydell posted on Instagram. “He was truly one of a kind. Funniest and most talented person I’ve ever known.”
A Career Defined by ‘On Golden Pond’
Rydell’s most significant achievement came with “On Golden Pond” (1981), which earned 10 Academy Award nominations and grossed over $119 million at the box office, making it the second-highest grossing film of 1981 behind “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The film starred Henry Fonda as Norman Thayer, an emotionally brittle and distant father who becomes more accessible at the end of his life, alongside Katharine Hepburn and Jane Fonda. Henry Fonda and Hepburn both won leading acting Oscars for their performances, and Ernest Thompson won for adapted screenplay. Rydell was nominated for Best Director but lost to Warren Beatty for “Reds,” according to AP News.
“On Golden Pond” was Henry Fonda’s final movie role. Rydell later recalled the emotional moment he showed the film to the ailing Fonda before his death: “He felt like a bird, I could feel his bones,” Rydell said. “He whispered to me in my ear, ‘Thank you for the best thing that’s ever happened in my life.’” Fonda died at age 77 months after winning his only Oscar.
From Soap Opera Star to Acclaimed Director
Born Mortimer H. Rydell on March 23, 1929, in New York City, Rydell initially trained in music at the Juilliard School of Music before pivoting to acting after winning a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse, where he studied with Sanford Meisner. He made his Broadway debut in “Seagulls Over Sorrento” (1952) and became a popular soap opera star on “As the World Turns” (1956-1962), playing Jeff Baker.
Rydell moved into directing television, helming episodes of “Mr. Novak,” “Ben Casey,” “I Spy,” “The Wild Wild West,” “The Fugitive,” and “Gunsmoke.” He made his feature-film directorial debut with “The Fox” (1967), which was a box-office hit. He went on to direct Steve McQueen in “The Reivers” (1969), John Wayne in “The Cowboys” (1972), and James Caan and Marsha Mason in “Cinderella Liberty” (1973).
Champion of Performers
Rydell insisted that Bette Midler — then an untested actress known as a nightclub singer — be cast as the Janis Joplin-like rocker in “The Rose” (1979). The film made Midler a movie star and earned her an Oscar nomination. Midler credited Rydell with both of her Oscar nominations, for “The Rose” and later “For the Boys” (1991).
“He was the actor’s whisperer; just a few words was all it took to understand what was needed,” Midler wrote on Instagram, as reported by Deadline. “Devoted to Meisner. So many happy memories.”
In all, Rydell directed eight actors to Oscar nominations: Henry Fonda (won), Katharine Hepburn (won), Jane Fonda, Bette Midler (twice), Marsha Mason, Sissy Spacek, Frederic Forrest, and Rupert Crosse.
Later Career and Legacy
Rydell continued directing through the 1990s and 2000s, helming “The River” (1984), “For the Boys” (1991), “Intersection” (1994), and “Even Money” (2006). His acclaimed TV movies included “Crime of the Century” (1996) and “James Dean” (2001), which earned James Franco a Golden Globe. He also acted in films including Robert Altman’s “The Long Goodbye” (1973) and Woody Allen’s “Hollywood Ending” (2002), as documented on Wikipedia.
In later years, Rydell taught at UCLA and served as co-artistic director of The Actors Studio West with Martin Landau. He was known for his belief that “all great art rests on telling the truth.” In 2009, he expressed frustration that the industry had moved away from “substantial, human dramas” toward spectacle and special effects.
Rydell was married to actress Joanne Linville (1962-1973) and later to documentary producer Esther Rydell (1984-2007). Both marriages ended in divorce. He is survived by his daughter Amy, sons Christopher and Alexander, grandchildren Austin, Ruby Joe and Ginger, and two great-grandchildren.
His passing marks the end of an era for American cinema — a director who championed the dramatic interaction between people at a time when that was what drew audiences to the movies. As Vulture noted, Rydell’s career spanned from the golden age of television to the modern era of filmmaking, leaving an indelible mark on both mediums.