Hollywood Icon, Activist, And Sundance Founder, Robert Redford, Has Passed Away At The Age Of 89
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Renowned actor and director Robert Redford has passed away at the age of eighty-nine. The news was announced on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, by his publicist. Although there is no official cause of death as yet, the family has said that he departed surrounded by his loved ones at his home in Sundance, Utah. Robert Redford was born in Santa Monica, California, in 1936, but the son of an accountant wasn’t as studious as his parents.
"I think I realized that my education was going to happen when I got out in the world and engaged with other cultures, other places, other languages, and had the adventure of exploration." – Robert Redford
He spent frequent summers with his maternal grandmother in Austin, TX. And Redford credited this for his unyielding love of nature. Before environmentalism became mainstream, Redford was a champion of the cause. In the 1970s, he helped pass the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to establish the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as well as stopping mining in sensitive areas of Alaska’s Bristol Bay. Redford addressed the Paris Climate Summit in 2015 on the dangers of climate change, and more recently, he clashed with President Donald Trump over his environmental (or lack of) stances, including the Alton Coal Mine.
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“The climate crisis threatens the most basic freedom of all — to build a life, support a family and leave our kids a livable world” – Robert Redford
Redford’s career started on Broadway in 1959, but within a year, he’d managed to land guest spots on television favorites Perry Mason, Maverick, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The John Sexton war movie War Hunt was Redford’s first attempt at the silver screen; however, another actor also made his acting debut in the same picture. Blink and you’ll miss Francis Ford Coppola as a truck driver.
Redford’s classic good looks hooked audiences, and in 1969, he was cast opposite Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The film cemented his dry, reliable persona, and the roles poured in afterwards, making him one of the most bookable men of the 70s and 80s. Despite his leading man looks, Redford could act, really act. He received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for The Sting; there should have been more. From The Great Gatsby to All The President’s Men, to The Horse Whisperer, Redford never gave less than his best.
The notion is that you're not so much of an actor, you're just somebody that looks well. That was always hard for me, because I always took pride in whatever role I was playing. I would be that character. – Robert Redford
Then, in 1980, Redford took a huge risk; he sat in the director’s chair. It’s a move that’s seen many an actor fall on their face, but Robert Redford walked away with the Best Director Oscar that year (1981 – Ordinary People). He was nominated again in 1995 for Quiz Show (Best Director and Best Picture) and received an honorary golden statue later in his career. Robert Redford isn’t the first name that springs to mind when discussing successful directors, but his body of work (The Horse Whisperer, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and A River Runs Through It) is the envy of many in Hollywood.
As a director, ... I love the idea of standing back and looking at the whole canvas and imagining what I was going to put together and how, and watching the rhythms of the actors because I love actors. And those two didn't seem to blend very well together. – Robert Redford
Image Source: Variety
In 1981, Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit committed to the growth of independent artists. Once a year, it hosts the legendary Sundance Film Festival to showcase emerging talent. Robert Redford kept performing into his later years (between his work behind the scenes and his continued activism), joining the Marvel franchise as Alexander Pierce. Throughout his long career, he starred in over 80 films.
In 2020, his son, talented filmmaker and fellow activist James Redford, passed away from cancer, but he is survived by an extended, tight-knit family who have been posting photos and memories. Stars of stage and screen have also been flooding social media with tributes to the man and his lasting impact on the industry. He will be sorely missed.
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