Famed director, producer and actor Sydney Pollack, the filmmaker behind such classics as "Out of Africa," "The Way We Were" and "Tootsie," has died.

Pollack died of cancer Monday afternoon at his home in Pacific Palisades, Calif., surrounded by family, according to his his publicist, Leslee Dart.

He was 73.

The filmmaker won producing and directing Oscars for the Robert Redford and Meryl Streep drama "Out of Africa" in 1985, and appeared in some of the films he directed, including the gender-bending hit "Tootsie," which starred Dustin Hoffman in the title role.

He also directed the classic Redford and Barbra Streisand drama "The Way We Were," and was at the helm of several other films starring Redford, including "Jeremiah Johnson," "Three Days of the Condor," "Bobby Deerfield" and "The Electric Horseman." He also directed such A-list stars as Harrison Ford in "Sabrina" and "Random Hearts," Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn in "The Interpreter" and Tom Cruise in "The Firm."

Pollack not only directed Cruise -- he starred opposite the actor in the late Stanley Kubrick's last film, "Eyes Wide Shut."

"Throughout the years, unpretentious and never condescending, he shared with me what he loved about family, storytelling, food, flying and a great bottle of vino," Cruise said in a statement. "He was a Renaissance man and a great friend. I will miss him dearly."

Pollack also directed Paul Newman and Sally Field in "Absence of Malice."

"Having the opportunity to know Sydney and work with him was a great gift in my life," Field said in a statement. "He was a good friend and a phenomenal director and I will cherish every moment that I ever spent with him."

Whether he was directing, producing or, in some cases, acting in some of his films, Pollack told Tim Lammers in a 2007 @ The Movies interview that he was intent on not taking himself too seriously in the movie business.

"I don't know if I'm humble or not humble or whatever. I just know that I can't believe that there are people in this business that take themselves so seriously," Pollack said. "I don't think it's good for anybody to begin to believe your press notices. You have to just try to keep your eyes on where you're going and keep working, and then the world will figure out what your value is at some point."

In addition to his "Out of Africa" Oscar wins, Pollack was nominated for Best Director for the 1969 film "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" and for directing and producing "Tootsie."

Earlier this year, Pollack shared a Best Picture nomination for producing the George Clooney legal thriller "Michael Clayton."

"Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better," Clooney said in a statement. "A tip of the hat to a class act. He'll be missed terribly."

Pollack also had a supporting role in "Michael Clayton" and several other films, including "Eyes Wide Shut," "A Civil Action" and "Tootsie." Most recently, Pollack co-starred in "Made of Honor," playing the father of Patrick Dempsey's character.

Pollack also appeared in several television guest roles, on such shows as "The Sopranos," "Will and Grace," "Fraiser" and "Mad About You."

In 2007, the American Film Institute's Dallas International Film Festival wanted to give Pollack with a lifetime achievement-type of award, but he wanted nothing of it -- settling for an honor with a less-virtuous sounding title.

"They tried to give me something called a 'Living Legend Award, ' and I wouldn't take it," Pollack told @ The Movies with a laugh. "It's very nice if your peers vote you an Academy Award or an Emmy Award or something like that, because that's for a specific piece of work. But these awards that say that you're the humanitarian of the year or the person of the century or a living legend, they're what I call 'virtue awards' -- or awards that you get just by living long enough.

"I get very uncomfortable with the hyperbole of all these great titles and things," Pollack added. "I wouldn't know what you would say if I got one."

Pollack was born Sidney Irwin Pollack was born in Lafayette, Ind., to first-generation Russian-Americans, on July 1, 1934. He is survived by his wife, Claire; two daughters, Rebecca and Rachel, six grandchildren and his brother, Bernie.

The filmmaker and his wife also had a son, Steven, born in 1959. Steven Pollack died in a light plane crash in 1993.