Oscar-winning actor and director Robert Redford has died
Robert Redford, actor, director, and environmentalist, has died at the age of 89. The Oscar winner once rejected the typical Hollywood hero image to promote causes he held dear, writes CNN.
"Robert Redford died on September 16, 2025, at his home in Sundance, Utah—a place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be deeply missed," wrote Redford biographer Cindy Berger.
An Oscar winner, Redford abandoned the Hollywood hero image to pursue causes close to his heart. He left an indelible mark on cinema, independent art, and environmentalism. His life is a story of self-discovery, overcoming adversity, and staying true to his principles.
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Restless youth
Robert Redford was born into a modest family on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, near Los Angeles. His father, Charles Robert Redford Sr., worked in the dairy industry and was constantly away at work. "I didn't see him very often," Redford recalled.
The family later moved to a larger house in Van Nuys, but couldn't afford a nanny, so young Robert spent hours in the children's section of the local library. He immersed himself in books about Greek and Roman mythology. These stories fired his imagination, but he wasn't generally interested in studying.
"I didn't have the patience," he said. "I was much more interested in mischief and adventure outside my usual circle."
He was drawn to art, sports, and life beyond the bustling Los Angeles. In 1955, he received a baseball scholarship to the University of Colorado at Boulder, but that same year he suffered a profound loss: the death of his mother, Martha Hart, who was not yet XNUMX.
"She was very young," he said regretfully. His mother, unlike his father, whose caution was shaped by the Great Depression, always supported his dreams.
"My father was afraid to take risks, he wanted me to follow the straight and narrow, which I didn't like," Redford recalled. "My mother, however, no matter what I did, always forgave and supported me, believing I could do anything." Her death left a deep mark on Robert: "When I left for Colorado and she died, I realized I never had a chance to thank her."
At university, Radford developed an addiction to alcohol, lost his scholarship, and was forced to drop out. He found work as a laborer at Standard Oil and began saving money for travel and art education in Europe.
"I lived sporadically, but that suited me," he said. "I wanted adventure, I wanted to see how other people lived."
In Europe, he immersed himself in the arts. Returning to the United States, Robert enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Shy and withdrawn, he felt out of place among the ambitious students, but a teacher spotted his potential and encouraged him to persevere.
The birth of a star
In 1959, Redford graduated from the academy and landed his first role in an episode of the television series "Perry Mason." "From there, my career only went up," he said.
His breakthrough came in 1963, when Robert starred opposite Jane Fonda in Neil Simon's Broadway production of Barefoot in the Park (he later reprised the role in the 1967 film of the same name).
In 1958, he married Lola van Wagenen, with whom he had four children. In 1961, the young family moved to Utah, where the actor bought two acres of land for $500 and built a house with his own hands.
"I realized how important nature was in my life, and I wanted to live where it was in its pristine strength and, as I believed, could be eternal," he said. This step became a turning point not only for his personal life but also for his future endeavors.
Redford's real fame came in 1969 with the western "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," in which he played the title role alongside Paul Newman. The film won four Oscars, and the acting duo became iconic.
"I'm forever indebted to Newman for helping me get that role," Redford once admitted. Their friendship continued after filming ended, and in 1973, they starred together again in The Sting, which won an Oscar for Best Picture.
The Reluctant Lover
In the 1970s, Redford became the star of box office hits: Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973) with Barbra Streisand, The Great Gatsby (1974), and All the President's Men (1976), about the Watergate scandal.
Robert's good looks and charisma made him a romantic hero, but he himself was burdened by this image.
"I didn't see myself the way others saw me, and I felt stuck in the image of the handsome, lover boy. It was flattering, but it became limiting," he admitted.
To break free from this mold, Robert began championing his own vision in film. Working on "Jeremiah Johnson" with director Sydney Pollack proved a challenge.
"It was a battle from the start," he recalled. "The studio said, 'You have $4 million, put it in a bank in Salt Lake City, shoot it wherever you want, but that's it. If you go over budget, you pay for it out of pocket.'"
The film, about a veteran living in the wilderness of the American West, was shot with minimal dialogue and stunning scenery. The studio deemed it "too unusual" and doubted its success, but the film, proving Redford right, grossed nearly $45 million.
In 1980, he made his directorial debut with the drama "Ordinary People," about the breakdown of a family. The film won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
"They say sports films don't work, political films don't work, media films don't work, and I've made three of those," Redford once said, emphasizing his willingness to challenge commercial stereotypes.
His directorial credits include A River Runs Through It (1992), which won three Oscars, Quiz Show (1994), and The Horse Whisperer (1998), in which he also played the lead role. Robert continued to star in films such as The Natural (1984), which reflected his love of baseball, Indecent Proposal (1993) with Demi Moore, and Out of Africa (1985) with Meryl Streep, where his romantic portrayal once again delighted audiences.
Sundance and environmental protection
Redford's love of nature and independent art manifested itself in his founding of the Sundance Institute in 1981. This nonprofit organization, headquartered in a canyon above Provo, Utah, supports "risk-taking and new voices in American film and theater" by providing workshops for playwrights and screenwriters. The annual Sundance Film Festival has become the largest independent film festival in the United States, introducing the world to directors such as Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape, 1989), Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, 1992), and Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, 2013). In 2002, Robert received an honorary Oscar for his contribution to cinema.
Redford was a passionate advocate for the natural environment of Utah and the American West. Inspired by its pristine beauty, he moved to the state in 1961 and spent his life advocating for environmental conservation.
In October 2020, amid devastating wildfires, the actor, urging society to pay attention to climate change, wrote an op-ed for CNN in which he concluded, "We're not paying enough attention to this problem." His efforts made Sundance not only a cultural but also an environmental icon.
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Personal life and tragedies
Redford married Lola van Wagenen in 1958, and they had four children. Their firstborn, Scott, died in 1959 of sudden infant death syndrome, a devastating blow. Daughter Shauna (born in 1960), son David James (born in 1962), and daughter Amy (born in 1970) grew up in the shadow of their father's fame. David, who became a director, social activist, and philanthropist, died in 2020 of cancer at the age of 58—another loss that deeply hurt Redford.
After divorcing Lola in 1985, he married artist Zibilla Zaggars in 2009. He is survived by his wife, daughters Shauna Redford Schlosser and Amy Redford, and seven grandchildren.
Redford remained active even in old age. He starred with Jane Fonda in the Netflix film Our Souls in the Night (2017) and retired from acting with a role in The Old Man and the Gun (2018) at the age of 82.
The actor rejected the idea of retirement as such outright: "For me, retirement means stopping something or giving up something. Life is meant to be lived as fully and as long as possible," he believed. "I want to make the most of what I've been given. You have to keep moving forward, trying new things—that's inspiring."
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