Robert Redford, Oscar-Winning Actor And Director, Dead At 89

Hollywood legend Robert Redford has died at the age of 89, according to the New York Times.

As a director, producer, and entrepreneur, Robert Redford made waves in Hollywood not just for his performances in critically acclaimed films like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Sting," and "The Way We Were," but also for his creation of the Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Institute, a nonprofit organization that discovers and helps foster the growth of independent artists, hosts the 10-day Sundance Film Festival every year, per Sundance. The festival is now one of the most respected and celebrated events in the film world, all thanks to Redford. "I thought it'd be a good idea to maybe make it a little weird because maybe that would attract people," Redford told Entertainment Weekly in 2014.

The actor was born Charles Robert Redford Jr. on August 18, 1937, in Santa Monica, California. His mother was passionate about literature and films, which likely instilled an early interest in movies in Redford. However, he focused on sports in high school. "The Natural" star won a baseball scholarship from the University of Colorado, though he unfortunately lost it as a penalty for excessive drinking. After a stint in Europe, he returned to the United States and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

In 1959, Robert Redford made his Broadway debut in "Tall Story" and then got a role in 1960's "Little Moon of Alban." His performances led to opportunities in television, and he made one-episode appearances in shows like "Maverick," "The Deputy," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," and "The Twilight Zone." At the same time, Redford's Broadway career was taking off. He was cast in "Sunday in New York," and then in 1963, he scored the lead role in "Barefoot in the Park," and reprised the role in the screen adaptation. His co-star Jane Fonda loved working with Redford.

In 1969, Redford landed the role that changed everything: the Sundance Kid in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," which came out in 1969. "When I first met [director] George Roy Hill, I told him that I much more related to the outlaw character, the Sundance Kid, which was not the role he wanted me for," Redford told Entertainment Weekly. "But George got excited and thought, 'Hmm, I'm going to make this work.'Redford starred in the film alongside Paul Newman and became instantly famous. He appeared in film after film, including 1969's "Downhill Racer," "The Candidate" in 1972, and "The Sting" and "The Way We Were," co-starring in the latter with Barbra Streisand. "I'd heard all kinds of crazy things about Barbra, but none of them applied to our relationship," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I loved working with her. We had a ton of fun." 

Robert Redford stayed relevant in Hollywood long after his success in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." He earned critical acclaim for playing Jay Gatsby in the 1974 version of "The Great Gatsby," Waldo Pepper in "The Great Waldo Pepper," and Turner in "Three Days of the Condor." In 1976, his performance as Bob Woodward in the Richard Nixon-inspired movie, "All the President's Men," drew a tremendous amount of praise.

By then, Redford was also an established producer and director. He earned an Oscar in 1981 for his directorial debut "Ordinary People," and produced notable films such as "A River Runs Through It" and "Slums of Beverly Hills," which starred a young Natasha Lyonne, Alan Arkin, and Oscar winner Marisa Tomei. Redford's notable acting credits in more recent years included Alexander Pierce in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Avengers: Endgame."

In the 1960s, Redford sought a hideaway outside Hollywood and bought land in Utah. His love for natural surroundings led him to become an environmental activist, and some objected to his efforts to prevent certain developments from being built in Utah. His love of nature stemmed from a trip to Yosemite National Park with his mom, the actor recalled to Rolling Stone. "We went through that long tunnel when you come out of Fresno, and when I came out of the other side, I was suddenly sitting on this precipice looking out on this valley," Redford said. "I thought, 'God, this is amazing. I don't want to be standing here looking at it; I want to be in it.'"

Unfortunately, Robert Redford experienced his fair share of grief throughout his life. His mother, with whom he was very close, died right before he graduated high school. Redford also suffered the loss of two children. In 1959, his infant son Scott died from sudden infant death syndrome. Another tragedy struck Redford and his family when his son, Jamie, died at age 58 in 2020 after being diagnosed with liver cancer. Jamie had also been a filmmaker like his father.

The boys were two of the four children that Redford shared with his first wife. The couple had met in Los Angeles and married in 1958. Redford and Wagenan also had two daughters together: Shauna became a painter, and Amy became an actor like her dad. After 27 years together, Redford and Wagenan divorced in 1985. Redford spent the next decade dedicating his time to parenting and furthering his career. Then in 1996, he met Sibylle Szaggars. Redford and Szaggars dated for 13 years before marrying in Hamburg, Germany in 2009.

In 2021, Rolling Stone asked what advice he would give to his younger self. "I'd probably say always look for the truth, even though truths can be elusive," Redford said. "I'm always inspired by the words of T.S. Eliot: 'For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.' So maybe, 'Just follow your instincts and keep searching for the truth.'"