RIP Michael J. Pollard

DanOregon · Nov 23, 2019

Another "that guy!" HOFer. Always thought of him as a goofy sideman in many TV and movie appearances - later to learn that he had an Oscar nom and was the inspiration for Michael Fox adopting the "J" for his SAG card. Very interesting dude.

Michael J. Pollard, Oscar-Nominated Actor in 'Bonnie and Clyde,' Dies at 80

Azrael · Nov 23, 2019

If you've never seen 'Little Fauss and Big Halsey,' do so.

An underrated 1970 oddball classic about racers and racing.

CD Boogie · Nov 23, 2019

“In the early 1970s, Pollard befriended members of the English rock band Traffic and planned to make a film with drummer Jim Capaldi.

During a session of lyric writing and brainstorming, Pollard scribbled the phrase "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" in a notebook. The movie never materialized, but Capaldi turned that phrase into a near 12-minute song on Traffic's 1971 album of the same name.”

Man, the guy was everywhere

Jake from State Farm · Nov 23, 2019

He was great in Bonnie and Clyde

cyclingwriter2 · Nov 23, 2019

For some reason, he was part of the late 1960s hipster scene. I remember reading a Janis Joplin autobiography from around the time she died, and there was a picture of him with her in it. Almost, as if she needed his street cred to show how he cool she was.

Jackie Earle Haley was once described (for his turn in bad news bears) as a “looking like a munchkin kicked out of oz for unspeakable crimes.” Pollard had that same look...beside the cherub cheeks of an elf, there was something sinister.

OscarMadison · Nov 23, 2019

Oh, man. To be honest, I thought he was already gone.

My hyper-radical red-diaper film history teacher at CCAC adored Pollard. I was already starting to appreciate acting beyond whether an actor was pretty and made me happy being pretty on film; so when Dr. LeS pointed out some of the nuances in Pollard's performances in "Bonnie and Clyde," I was all eyes and ears.* His appearance was somewhere between Botticellian cherub and Froud ground-dweller. It takes effort to not completely buy every turn when he's on-screen. Seconding Azrael's rec and will add "Roxanne" and "Scrooged." The best theory I can come up with is he read a script, nodded, and said, "That's my id until we wrap."

*For performance choices as sheer damned subversion that seem to keep everybody guessing, Pollard was outrun only by George C. Scott in "Patton," but that's for another time.