[2] Luft's first Hollywood assignment was as the secretary and manager of dancer Eleanor Powell.

He is credited with keeping Judy Garland working[3] and with setting up a deal with Warner Bros. to bankroll his wife's comeback film, a 1954 musical remake of A Star Is Born plus future projects.

During its first release, the picture proved to be very popular with audiences and grossed an enormous amount of money, but it failed to recoup its production costs.

This was considered a major factor in Garland not winning the Academy Award that year for Best Actress.

He was married five times: Sidney Luft died on September 15, 2005, in Santa Monica, California, apparently of a heart attack, at the age of 89.