Screen icon Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, has died at the age of 89.
The news was confirmed in a statement by his publicist, Cindi Berger, who said he died in his sleep “surrounded by those he loved,” at his home in Utah. A cause of death was not disclosed.
He made his directorial debut with Ordinary People (1980), which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Beyond his work on screen, Redford founded the Sundance Institute, which launched the Sundance Film Festival — now the largest and most influential celebration of independent film in the United States.
He is survived by his two daughters, Shauna and Amy, and his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford, the 68-year-old German-born multimedia artist whose environmental work as been exhibited around the world.
He had four children with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen. One son, Scott, died of sudden death syndrome when he was just 10 weeks old. David died from cancer in 2020 at the age of 58.
Hailed as Hollywood’s former golden boy, tributes have poured in for the late star.
Robert Redford remembered for his deep legacy in environmental activism and Native American advocacy
Redford, who died Tuesday at age 89, was hardly the only liberal activist to emerge out of Hollywood, but few matched his knowledge and focus, his humility and dedication. Fellow actors and leaders of the causes he fought for spoke of his unusually deep legacy, his fight for Native Americans and the environment that began at the height of his stardom.
Robert Redford remembered for his deep legacy in environmental activism and Native American advocacy
Robert Redford, who died Tuesday at 89, was known for his deep commitment to activism, especially for Native American rights and the environment
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 09:30
Sundance Institute reflects on Robert Redford’s lasting legacy
The Sundance Institute mourned the loss of its founder, Robert Redford, in a statement that highlighted his contribution to cinema.
“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, has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema in the US and around the world,” the non-profit shared on Tuesday.
“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.”
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 09:15
Remembering Robert Redford in photos: the life of the Oscar-winning director and activist
Remembering Robert Redford in photos: the life of the Oscar-winning director and activist
Robert Redford, the acclaimed Oscar-winning director, activist and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, died Tuesday, at 89. See photos from throughout his remarkable life and career here.
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 09:00
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: How Robert Redford and Paul Newman captured Hollywood’s greatest outlaws
The multiple Oscar-winning Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was a groundbreaking revisionist western, with Paul Newman and the late Robert Redford giving a timeless portrayal of a pair of law-breaking adventurers in one of Hollywood’s greatest examples of the “buddy film”.
Although William Goldman was convinced his film script about two American outlaws who fled a posse of Pinkerton detectives and escaped to Bolivia had the potential to be a blockbuster hit, the initial response was disheartening. “Every studio but one rejected it,” Goldman recalled in The Reluctant Storyteller. “One studio head said, ‘Well, I’ll buy it if they don’t go to South America.’ I said, ‘But they went there!’ He said, ‘I don’t give a s***. All I know is John Wayne don’t run away.’”
The true story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The 1969 movie wasn’t an immediate success with critics, yet it charmed the public. As Robert Redford dies aged 89, Martin Chiltontells the tale of one of Hollywood’s best buddy films and the two outlaws who inspired it
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 08:30
Marisa Tomei on Redford: ‘He showed up for the world’
Marisa Tomei shared a heartfelt tribute to Robert Redford, calling him “the Sundance Kid, waving one last time.”
Tomei recalled a moment from early in Ms. Magazine’s history, when Redford’s PR office shared a building with the publication. “He volunteered his gorgeous back for their Oct ’75 cover, knowing the attention would help,” she wrote.
“Always lending his weight to something bigger than himself,” Tomei added. “A legend in every sense.
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 08:15
Classic films, pranks and a crushed Porsche: Robert Redford and Paul Newman’s rare friendship
Robert Redford and Paul Newman enjoyed a “bromance” long before the word had even been coined. Here’s a look back at their storied friendship - and the sports cars they crushed into a cube along the way:
Classic films, pranks and a crushed Porsche: Redford and Newman’s rare friendship
After first meeting while making ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’, the two Hollywood greats forged an enduring relationship. Kevin E G Perry looks back at one of cinema’s great bromances
Kevin Perry17 September 2025 07:56
Journalist Bob Woodward remembers Robert Redford as a fierce storyteller and friend
Bob Woodward paid tribute to Robert Redford on Instagram, looking back on their long connection.
Redford famously portrayed Woodward in the 1976 film All the President’s Men, and the two remained close over the years.
“He will be remembered as one of the greatest storytellers in our country’s history,” Woodward wrote. “He elevated stories beyond mainstream. He not only cared about the environment, but he took all conceivable actions to protect it.”
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 07:45
Robert Redford: 11 of his most memorable performances and where to watch them
Redford died Tuesday at 89, leaving behind an arsenal of great roles that he owned, whether he was playing a quiet CIA agent, a con man, a baseball player, a grizzled mariner, an ambitious journalist, or a charming WASP in love. His very last role came this year, a cameo in Dark Winds, the AMC show about Navajo police officers he produced.
This is a list of some of Redford's most memorable performances, but don’t forget about the films he directed, too: among them are the all-timers Ordinary People ( streaming on MGM+ ), which won him the best director Oscar, and Quiz Show (rent on AppleTV+ ), which got him another nod.
Robert Redford: 11 of his most memorable performances and where to watch them
Many of Redford’s films transcended their original reviews to find passionate fanbases
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 07:31
Hillary Clinton honours ‘American icon’ Robert Redford
Hilary Clinton honoured Robert Redford with a post on Instagram, reflecting on his career and the lasting impact he made beyond film.
“I always admired Robert Redford, not only for his legendary career as an actor and director but for what came next,” she wrote.
“He championed progressive values like protecting the environment and access to the arts while creating opportunities for new generations of activists and filmmakers. A true American icon.”
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 07:15
Joe Mantegna remembers Redford as a co-star and 'role model'
Joe Mantegna, the character actor known for appearing in The Godfather Part III and voicing Fat Tony in The Simpsons, fondly recalled working with Redford.
He wrote on X: “How lucky was I to be able to share the screen in 1996 with Robert Redford in Up Close and Personal. He was a role model not just as an actor but as a human being.”
Kevin Perry17 September 2025 07:00
Newer
Older
