With Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, the late Michael J. Pollard was esteemed for his supporting performances. After training at the Actor’s Studio with Marilyn Monroe, the 5’6” thespian launched a career that would last six decades. Michael’s cherubic cheeks and impish grin could be seen on stage (Bye Bye Birdie, Comes the Day); on television (Lost in Space, The Odyssey, Star Trek: The Original Series, Superboy); and most notably on film (Another You, Mad Dog Time, The Stripper, The Woods). Pollard is best known for his BAFTA-winning turn as C.W. Moss alongside Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the crime classic Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Beatty and Michael would later reunite for the comic book flick Dick Tracy (1990). Over the years, Pollard appeared in Hannibal Brooks (1969) with Oliver Reed; The Legend of Frenchie King (1971) with Brigitte Bardot; Melvin and Howard (1980) with Jason Robards; Riders of the Storm (1986) with Dennis Hopper; Roxanne (1987) with Steve Martin; Scrooged (1988) with Bill Murray; Next of Kin (1989) with Liam Neeson; Split Second (1992) with Rutger Hauer; and Tango & Cash (1989) with Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, and Jack Palance. Of course, Mr. Man prefers Michael’s collaboration with Robert Redford in the R-rated drama Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970). As the latter titular character, the skintastic actor flashes his bare back and bulging briefs in a morning-after scene. Pollard passed away in 2019 but we’ll always remember his panty-clad behind as well as the cinematic legacy he left behind.
