Robert Redford was one of the most acclaimed directors in film history. Sadly, he has passed away on September 16. He was 89. According to reports, he was at his home in Provo, Utah. An official cause of death was not given, but Rogers & Cowan PMK chief executive Cindi Berger revealed that the director, actor, and environmentalist passed away in his sleep.
Robert Redford Left Behind an Epic Legacy
Few Hollywood veterans have the career that Robert Redford had. He founded the Sundance Film Festival, acted in several films, directed plenty as well, and won awards for his work. Some of his most prominent works included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, All the President’s Men and Ordinary People.
Other films he was involved in include:
- The Natural
- Pete’s Dragon
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Avengers: Endgame
- Charlotte’s Web
- Lions for Lambs
- The Legend of Bagger Vance
- Quiz Show
- A River Runs Through It
He spent decades at his craft, eventually earning the best actor Oscar nomination for 1973’s The Sting, the best director win for 1980’s Ordinary People, and another best director nomination for 1994’s Quiz Show. According to People Magazine, he said in 2002 while receiving an honorary Oscar, “I’ve spent most of my life just focused on the road ahead, not looking back. But now tonight, I’m seeing in the rearview mirror that there is something I’ve not thought about much, called history.“
Redford was on the Hollywood trail from an early age. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making his Broadway debut at the age of 23 in Tall Story. But it was his role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid that catapulted him into legendary status.
About that role, the actor said, “I was being put up for Butch Cassidy because I’d done the comedy. But that part didn’t interest me. What interested me was the Sundance Kid because I could relate to that based on my own experience and particularly my own childhood and feeling like an outlaw most of my life. So I told [director] George [Roy Hill], and he knew Paul really well and knew he was much more like Butch Cassidy, so George turned it all around. He went to Paul and they argued a bit until Paul finally realized that George was right. He was well known and I wasn’t, which is why they switched the title, too.“
He Wasn’t Just an Actor
The actor turned director revealed in 2018 that he would be retired after an upcoming project, but he admitted you can never say never, which proved to be prudent. He appeared in five projects afterward, including the box-office darling Avengers: Endgame in 2019. But he also left behind more than a decorated filmography. He was also an activist.
Redford and his son, James, who died at 58 in 2020, co-founded The Redford Center in 2005. It was a nonprofit focusing on producing films and providing grants to filmmakers for climate change-related films, as this was an issue he was very passionate about.
In 2015, Redford went with other celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, to help encourage the United Nations to bolden their position on global warming. “This has to be the time because we’re running out of time. It’s been so many years but there’s no more time,” Redford said a decade ago.
Conclusion
Robert Redford led one of the most impressive film lives in history, going from Broadway to the screen and even behind the camera. Few can argue about the impact of the Sundance Film Festival or the Redford Center, two off-screen causes he started. Redford is survived by his wife, daughters Shauna and Amy and grandchildren. May he rest in peace.
