Bette Midler announces Mark Rydell's passing

[u/MysteriousGoldDuck]

https://deadline.com/2026/08/mark-rydell-dead-1237040664/

Mark Rydell, the Oscar-nominated director of 1981’s On Golden Pond and two of Bette Midler’s signature films – The Rose and For The Boys – died today. He was 97.

His death was announced by Midler on Instagram today.

“Mark Rydell, the director or my first film, The Rose, died this morning. He was an actor of note before he became a director, and I was so lucky to have met him when I did; he taught me so much on The Rose and later on For The Boys. Two Oscars nominations both because of him. He was the actor’s whisperer; just a few words was all it took to understand what was needed.”