Robert Redford, the legendary actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, has died at the age of 89. His publicist, Cindi Berger, confirmed he passed away on September 16 at his home in Sundance, Utah, surrounded by loved ones. “He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy,” she said in a statement.
Redford, whose career spanned over six decades, became a household name with his roles in the 1969 classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and 1973’s The Sting, both co-starring Paul Newman. Despite his matinee-idol looks, Redford often rejected the heartthrob label, striving instead to be recognized for the substance of his work.
Tributes have poured in from across the entertainment world. Meryl Streep, his Out of Africa co-star, said, “One of the lions has passed. Rest in peace my lovely friend.” Longtime collaborator Jane Fonda described him as “a beautiful person in every way,” adding, “He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.”
Director Ron Howard called Redford an “artistic gamechanger,” while Leonardo DiCaprio said he was “a hero to a lot of us,” praising his dedication to environmental causes and political storytelling. Jamie Lee Curtis posted: “A life! Family. Art. Transformation. Advocacy. Creation. Legacy. Thank you Robert Redford.”
Redford’s influence extended far beyond acting.
In 1980, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for Ordinary People, and in 1981 he founded the Sundance Institute, which gave rise to the Sundance Film Festival now one of the world’s most important platforms for independent cinema. Films such as The Blair Witch Project, Little Miss Sunshine, Precious, Get Out, and Coda all gained early recognition there.
Reflecting on Sundance in a 2014 BBC interview, Redford said, “We started Sundance as a place to come and develop new artists, I’m very proud that it’s become a platform for voices that wouldn’t otherwise be heard.”
His other notable film credits include The Candidate, All the President’s Men, The Way We Were, Indecent Proposal, and The Horse Whisperer, which he also directed. He stepped back from acting in 2018, citing fatigue with performing, though his influence continued in both film and activism.
Redford also made significant contributions as an environmental advocate and political voice, often using his platform to promote conservation and social justice.
He is survived by his wife, Sibylle Szaggars, whom he married in 2009, and two daughters from his previous marriage to historian Lola Van Wagenen. He endured personal tragedy with the loss of two of his four children infant son Scott and filmmaker James, who died of cancer in 2020.
Robert Redford leaves behind not just a legacy of iconic films, but a movement that reshaped independent cinema for generations to come.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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