As a producer, Pollack's contributions include The Talented Mr Ripley and Cold Mountain.
He also teamed up with filmmaker Anthony Minghella and a production company Mirage Enterprises to make independent films.
But it is Pollack the director, who will be missed.
'Sydney lets the dialogue and the emotion of a scene speak for itself. Not given to cinematic tricks, his gentle and thoughtful touch and his focus on the story lets us inhabit the world he created in each film,' The Associated Press quoted Michael Apted, president of the Directors Guild of America, as saying.
In the picture: (From left) Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in a still from The Talented Mr Ripley