Tragic Details About Hollywood Legend Robert Redford's Life

Oscar-winning actor and director Robert Redford died at the age of 89, leaving behind a vast array of films for cinephiles and casual movie fans to enjoy for generations. Known for gems such as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "All the President's Men," and "Out of Africa," Redford has been on both the silver and small screens since the 1960s. He even dipped his toe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing the character Alexander Pierce in both "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Avengers: Endgame." Plus, he founded the Sundance Institute in the 1980s, which is responsible for the annual Sundance Film Festival.

But like all great films, Redford's time came to an end, credits rolling. Though he was an award-winning director, as well as an Oscar-nominated actor, he still suffered unbelievable hardships throughout his life. Being a celebrity doesn't suddenly fix all of life's problems, unfortunately.

Health issues plagued his family, and he also outlived two of his children, something no parent should ever have to do. Redford may have possessed that Hollywood swagger, but he still privately dealt with multiple tragedies through the years.

Losing one's mother is agonizing, no matter how old a person is, but having to bury her when you're only 18 years old, with your whole life ahead of you? Absolutely gut-wrenching. Martha Redford died from septicemia, aka blood poisoning, in 1955. "My regret is that she passed away before I could thank her," Robert Redford said during the Sundance Film Festival Utah Women's Leadership Celebration in 2018 (via Closer Weekly). Martha always supported her reckless son. "She just had faith that I had something in me that was going to turn out okay."

Her faith was not misplaced, since Robert went on to receive worldwide acclaim, but, sadly, she died before getting to see her son's achievements. Robert explained to the crowd that his mother gave birth to twin girls when he was 10 years old, but sadly, both babies died. His birth was not easy, and Martha was warned that getting pregnant again was risky, but she wanted more children. "She had a hemorrhage tied to a blood disorder" from the pregnancy, Robert shared, calling her death "so unfair."

Robert Redford shared four children with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen. Unfortunately, Redford and Van Wagenen had to painfully say goodbye to two of their kids way before their time. In 1959, Robert became a father. His first child, Scott Redford, wouldn't live to see his first birthday, dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at 2 and a half months old. "Of course it was traumatic," Robert told Esquire back in 2017. "We had to deal with it. You have to move on. And we had other children who came."

One of those other children was his son, James Redford. While James got to live much longer than his older brother, his life was plagued with health issues — heartbreaking for a father to helplessly watch. Robert told People in 1998 that James "suffered the furies" of poor health for most of his life. James had first been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis and later had to undergo a liver transplant in 1993 after being diagnosed with cirrhosis, a chronic liver disease. That surgery wasn't successful, but a second one seemed to do the trick, with Robert telling the outlet at the time that James was doing okay now.

But in 2020, James died at age 58 from bile-duct cancer. At the time, Robert's publicist said, "The grief is immeasurable with the loss of a child" (via BBC). James' wife, Kyle Redford, shared on X: "We're heartbroken. He lived a beautiful, impactful life & was loved by many. He will be deeply missed."

Back in 1984, Robert Redford's oldest daughter, Shauna Redford, was in a terrifying car accident in Salt Lake City, Utah that resulted in her vehicle plowing into the river — with her still in it. Thankfully, she was rescued and taken to the hospital, having only sustained minor injuries.

One of those rescuers was Salt Lake City resident Dorine Staker Rivers, who later met Robert at the movie premiere of "The Natural." Rivers recalled to People that Robert told her: "Saying thanks just isn't enough. I believe he was at a loss for words. He was just being a dad at that point."

Less than a year before Shauna's car accident, her boyfriend of three years, Sid Wells, was murdered in his own home, shot to death. Both Shauna and Wells were in college at the University of Colorado, but after the murder, Shauna ended up dropping out. Robert stopped working on "The Natural" and went to be with his distraught daughter. The murder has never been solved; Wells' roommate, Thayne Smika, was arrested for the crime, but charges were later dropped.

With the help of vaccines, the polio disease is not nearly as serious now as it was back when Robert Redford was growing up. If someone contracted polio, it could have debilitating effects and even kill them. Former president Franklin D. Roosevelt suffered from polio, which resulted in him having to use a wheelchair.

While guest-starring on NPR's "Fresh Air" back in 2018, Redford spoke about the harrowing experience but made sure to note that he never had to use an iron lung to help him breathe. "It was a case of mild polio, but it was severe enough to put me in bed for two weeks," he shared, noting that he never experienced paralysis, like many people who contracted polio did. He had issues moving, but his case wasn't that extreme.

Also during that interview, Redford mentioned that his beloved uncle was killed at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Losing someone so close to him — years before his mother would perish — had to have been tough on young Redford, but he noted how his family never really mentioned his uncle again. "It just happened, and you didn't ask a lot of questions." What a confusing time that must have been for the future actor.

While feeling like you're a failure isn't nearly as tragic as losing a loved one or contracting a disease, it's still a disheartening mindset to have, especially at a young age. In an interview with Success Magazine back in 1980, Robert Redford said that before he found his passion for acting, he struggled. "I was a failure at everything I tried. I worked as a box boy at a supermarket and got fired. Then my dad got me a job at Standard Oil — fired again." The future Oscar winner revealed getting in trouble with the police by "stealing hubcaps and breaking into people's backyards to use the pool when they were away."

He went to college at the University of Colorado for a bit on a baseball scholarship, but success didn't find him there, either. "I lost my scholarship pretty quickly after I discovered drinking," Redford said (via Esquire). Eventually, he found his calling, but not before playing mental gymnastics about his own capabilities.