{"id":31533,"date":"2025-09-16T14:38:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=31533"},"modified":"2025-09-20T09:46:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T13:46:27","slug":"robert-redford-oscar-winning-filmmaker-and-sundance-founder-dies-at-89","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=31533","title":{"rendered":"Robert Redford, Oscar-winning Filmmaker and Sundance founder, dies at 89"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a9Courtesy of “This Property is Condemned”(1966)<\/p>\n

Robert Redford, one of Hollywood’s most critically acclaimed directors, producers and leading actors, has died. His publicist Cindi Berger, Chairman and CEO of Rogers and Cowan PMK, confirmed the news. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who also co-founded the Sundance Film Institute, passed away this morning at the age of 89.<\/p>\n

“Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah\u2013the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly,” Berger said in a statement to CNN<\/a>. “The family requests privacy.”<\/p>\n

Redford made a name for himself starring in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid<\/em><\/strong> and All the President’s Men<\/em><\/strong>. He also helmed such award-winning movies such as Ordinary Peopl<\/em><\/strong> and A River Runs Through It<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The helmer’s passion for the art of filmmaking led to his creation of the Sundance Institute. The nonprofit supports independent film and theater, and hosts the Sundance Film Festival<\/a> every January.<\/p>\n

Redford was also a dedicated environmentalist. He moved to Utah in 1961. He led efforts to preserve the natural landscape of the state and the American West.<\/p>\n

The performer acted well into his later years. He reunited with Jane Fonda in the 2017 Netflix movie Our Souls at Night<\/strong><\/em>. The following year, he appeared in The Old Man & the Gun<\/em><\/strong> at the age of 82. He stated the film would be his last starring role. However, he also said he wouldn’t consider retiring.<\/p>\n

<\/ins><\/p>\n

“To me, retirement means stopping something or quitting something,” he told CBS Sunday Morning in 2018. “There’s this life to lead, why not live it as much as you can as long as you can?”<\/p>\n

After stepping away from appearing on screen, Redford voiced his concern about the lack of focus on climate change in an opinion piece he wrote for CNN<\/a>. He shared his thoughts during the midst of devastating wildfires in the western United States in October 2020.<\/p>\n

Redford was born as Charles Robert Redford, Jr. in Santa Monica in 1936. His father, Charles Robert Redford Sr., worked long hours as a milkman and an accountant. He later moved the family to a larger home in Van Nuys.<\/p>\n

Growing up,\u00a0Redford wasn’t a model student. “I had no patience \u2026 I was not inspired,” he shared. “It was more interesting to me to mess around and to adventure beyond the parameters that I was growing up in.”<\/p>\n

Redford was drawn to arts and sports, as well as a life outside of Los Angeles, as a child. So he earned a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1955.<\/p>\n

That same year, his mother, Martha Woodruff Redford, died. The actor said his mother was “always very supportive (of my career),” more so than his father.<\/p>\n

“My father came of age during the Depression and he was afraid to take chances \u2026 so he wanted the straight and narrow path for me, which I was just not meant to be on,” the filmmaker said. \u202f”My mother, no matter what I did, she was always forgiving and supportive and felt that I could do anything,” he added.<\/p>\n

<\/ins><\/p>\n

Redford soon turned to drinking, and therefore lost his scholarship. Upon leaving the university, he worked for the Standard Oil Company. He saved enough money to continue his art studies in Europe.<\/p>\n

When he returned to the U.S., Redford began studying theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. He said he didn’t fit in with the other drama students who were eager to show off their acting skills.<\/p>\n

But Redford persisted in his studies and graduated from the academy in 1959. He then signed onto his first acting role on an episode of Perry Mason<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

The performer’s big acting break came in 1963, when he starred in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park<\/strong><\/em> on Broadway. He later reprised the role on the big screen alongside Fonda.<\/p>\n

Around this time, Redford married activist-producer Lola Van Wagenen. The two started a family, which included their first child, Scott, who died from sudden infant death syndrome just a few months after his birth in 1959. The couple went on to have several more children, including Shauna in 1960, David in 1962 and Amy in 1970.<\/p>\n

As his acting career was taking off, Redford and his family moved to Utah in 1961. While there, he bought two acres of land for $500 and built a cabin himself.<\/p>\n

Redford really began making a name for himself as a leading man in 1969 when he starred alongside Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid<\/em><\/strong>. The Western went on to win four Academy Awards.<\/p>\n

Redford said he would forever be indebted to Newman, whom he credited with helping him get the role as the second titular character. The two actors became lifelong friends and reunited in The Sting<\/strong><\/em> in 1973, which won the Oscar for best picture.<\/p>\n

Redford went on to star in a string of hit movies throughout the 1970s. Those films include Jeremiah Johnson<\/strong><\/em>; The Way We Were<\/em><\/strong>, which co-starred Barbra Streisand; The Great Gatsby<\/em><\/strong>; and All The President’s Men<\/em><\/strong> opposite Dustin Hoffman.<\/p>\n

Redford made his directing debut in 1980 with Ordinary People<\/strong><\/em>. The drama, which follows an unhappy suburban family, earned the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director for Redford.<\/p>\n

The performer continued starring in hit films throughout the 1980s and ’90s. Those movies include The Natural<\/em><\/strong> in 1984, which focuses on baseball. He also starred in 1993’s An Indecent Proposal<\/strong><\/em> wit Demi Moore.<\/p>\n

Redford later directed A River Runs Through It<\/em><\/strong>, which won three Oscars. He also helmed 1994’s Quiz Show<\/em><\/strong> and The Horse Whisperer<\/em><\/strong> in 1998, which he also starred in.<\/p>\n

<\/ins><\/p>\n

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\n
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The actor-director’s passion for the environment and independent filmmaking merged when he founded the Sundance Institute in 1981. \u202fThe nonprofit, which is named after his Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid<\/strong><\/em> character, fosters new voices in American storytelling. It offers programs and grants to aspiring filmmakers.<\/p>\n

The organization also supports Redford’s Sundance resort near Provo, Utah. The resort hosts annual workshops for playwrights and screenwriters.<\/p>\n

The Institute also hosts he Sundance Film Festival, which is the largest annual showcase in the United States for independent film. Many young filmmakers got their big breaks at Sundance, including Steven Soderbergh with Sex, Lies, and Videotape<\/strong><\/em> in 1989. Quentin Tarantino also launched his career when his first movie, Reservoir Dogs<\/strong><\/em>, screened at the festival in 1992.<\/p>\n

The Sundance Institute released a statement this morning about Redford’s death. “<\/span><\/span>We are deeply saddened by the loss of our founder and friend Robert Redford. Bob’s vision of a space and a platform for independent voices launched a movement that, over four decades later, <\/i>has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema in the U.S. and around the world.<\/p>\n

The Institute’s statement added: “Beyond his enormous contributions to culture at large, we will miss his generosity, clarity of purpose, curiosity, rebellious spirit, and his love for the creative process. We are humbled to be among the stewards of his remarkable legacy, which will continue to guide the Institute in perpetuity.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Redford’s marriage to Wagenen ended in divorce in 1985. In 2009, he married his longtime partner, artist Sibylle Szaggars. He’s survived by Szaggars and his children.<\/p>\n

If you liked this article, please share your comment below.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out more of Karen Benardello’s<\/a> articles.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/ins>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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