Biography
Mark Rydell (born March 23, 1935, in New York City) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He has directed numerous Academy Award-nominated films such as The Fox (1967), The Reivers (1969), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Rose (1979), The River (1984), and For the Boys (1991). He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director for On Golden Pond (1981).
Initially trained in music, Rydell aspired to be a conductor during his youth. He started his career as an actor and gained recognition for his roles as Walt Johnson on The Edge of Night and Jeff Baker on As the World Turns, which he portrayed from 1956 to 1962. After refusing to sign a long-term contract on ATWT, his character was written off through a car accident. He received acclaim for his portrayal of the violent Jewish mob boss Marty Augustine in Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973). His latest notable film role was in Woody Allen's Hollywood Ending (2002).
As a director, Rydell’s filmography includes The Reivers (1969), The Cowboys (1972), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Rose (1979), On Golden Pond (1981), which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director, The River (1984), For the Boys (1991), and Intersection (1994). He also directed the TV movie The Crime of the Century (1996), starring Isabella Rossellini and Stephen Rea. In 2006, he directed the film Even Money.
Rydell directed the TV biopic James Dean (2001), which won James Franco a Golden Globe. He also appeared in the film as Jack L. Warner, the head of Warner Bros.
In 2009, alongside actor Martin Landau and screenwriter/playwright Lyle Kessler, Rydell co-produced The Total Picture Seminar, a two-day educational event covering acting, directing, and writing for film. The trio has collaborated for decades at The Actors Studio, coaching professional actors, writers, and directors. In 2010, Rydell joined the Advisory Board of Openfilm, an online video-sharing platform designed to support aspiring independent filmmakers.
