Mark Rydell Dead at 97

Mark Rydell and Rosemary Prinz starred as Jeff and Penny on As the World Turns.

Mark Rydell, who received a best director nomination for the Oscar-winning On Golden Pond and directed Bette Midler in The Rose and For the Boys, died on August 14. He was 97.

Rydell began his career as an actor on As the World Turns in the role of Jeff Baker. Jeff and Penny Hughes (Rosemary Prinz) were perhaps daytime telivision's first young "super couple." Their turbulent romance kept soap viewers enthralled and helped to propel As the World Turns to the top of the ratings in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1962, Rydell left the series and it was decided that the character should be killed off, leaving Penny a grieving young widow.

Following his stint on As the World Turns, Rydell acted in feature films and become a well known director. As a director, Rydell's credits include The Reivers (1969), The Cowboys (1972), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Rose (1979), On Golden Pond (1981), The River (1984), For the Boys (1991) and Intersection (1994).

He is survived by three children, Amy, Christopher, both actors; and Alexander, an editor.