Los Angeles, September 16, 2025 –
The world of cinema mourns the loss of a true legend. Robert Redford, the golden-haired heartthrob who evolved into an Oscar-winning director, environmental crusader, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, died early Tuesday morning at his beloved home in Sundance, Utah. He was 89.
Surrounded by family in the mountains he cherished, Redford’s passing marks the end of an era for American film, where charisma met conscience, and stardom served a higher purpose.Publicist Cindi Berger confirmed the news, stating, “Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance…
He will be missed greatly.” While the cause of death was not immediately disclosed, tributes have poured in from across Hollywood, with Meryl Streep calling him “one of the lions” who has passed, and Jane Fonda, his frequent co-star, revealing she “can’t stop crying.”
From Santa Monica to Silver Screen: A Reluctant Star’s Rise
Born Charles Robert Redford Jr. on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, Redford’s early life was a tapestry of youthful rebellion and artistic awakening. The son of accountant Charles Sr. and homemaker Martha Hart, he grew up in a middle-class family with Irish, Scottish, and English roots. A star athlete and artist in high school, Redford’s college days at the University of Colorado were cut short by expulsion for excessive partying.
Undeterred, he hitchhiked through Europe, studied painting at Pratt Institute, and honed his craft at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 1959.Redford’s Broadway breakthrough came in 1963 with Barefoot in the Park, opposite Elizabeth Ashley, which catapulted him to Hollywood. His film debut in War Hunt (1962) was gritty, but it was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), co-starring Paul Newman, that ignited his stardom.
The film’s witty Western charm and box-office triumph – the highest-grossing movie of 1969 – transformed Redford into a symbol of cool, introspective masculinity. He followed with The Candidate (1972), a sharp political satire; The Way We Were (1973), a poignant romance with Barbra Streisand; and The Sting (1973), another Newman team-up that earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.Yet Redford chafed at the “blond bombshell” label. “People have been so busy relating to how I look, it’s a miracle I didn’t become a self-conscious blob of protoplasm,” he once quipped to New York magazine.
His roles often delved deeper: the investigative journalist in All the President’s Men (1976), exposing Watergate alongside Dustin Hoffman; the baseball prodigy in The Natural (1984); and the rancher in Out of Africa (1985). Later works like All Is Lost (2013), where he battled the sea in near-silent isolation, and The Old Man & the Gun (2018), his self-proclaimed final acting role, showcased a veteran at peace with vulnerability. His last on-screen wink was a cameo as Alexander Pierce in Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Directing with Purpose: Oscars, Indies, and a Festival That Changed Everything
Behind the camera, Redford was a visionary. His directorial debut, Ordinary People (1980), a raw family drama, swept the Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director – his only competitive Academy win. He helmed seven more features, from the magical realism of The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) to the ethical thriller Quiz Show (1994) and the sweeping A River Runs Through It (1992).
These films prioritized substance over spectacle, often tackling themes of integrity and nature.But Redford’s greatest directorial feat was off-screen: founding the Sundance Film Festival in 1981, inspired by his character’s name in Butch Cassidy. What began as a modest gathering of 100 attendees in Park City, Utah, exploded into a global powerhouse by 2025, drawing over 85,000 and launching careers like Quentin Tarantino’s, Chloé Zhao’s, and Ava DuVernay’s. It became a beacon for documentaries on social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate change – causes Redford championed fiercely.
Though he lamented its commercialization, Sundance’s relocation to Boulder earlier this year drew his bittersweet nod: a festival he built, now evolving without him. In July 2025, Sundance Living stores announced closure, a poignant footnote to his entrepreneurial legacy.
A Heart Beyond the Spotlight: Redford’s Love Life
Robert Redford’s romantic life, like his films, was a blend of passion, complexity, and quiet devotion. His first and most significant relationship was with Lola Van Wagenen, a historian and activist he met in 1957 while living in New York City. They married on September 12, 1958, in a private ceremony, and their 27-year union became a cornerstone of Redford’s life. Together, they had four children: Scott (born 1959, died at 10 weeks from SIDS), Shauna (born 1960), David “Jamie” (born 1962, died 2020), and Amy (born 1970).
The couple faced heartbreak early with Scott’s death, a loss Redford later channeled into Ordinary People’s exploration of grief. Despite their separation in the late 1980s and divorce finalized in 1994, Redford and Van Wagenen remained close, united by their children and shared environmental passions. “She was the anchor during my wild years,” he once said of Van Wagenen, who pursued a Ph.D. and co-founded Consumer Action Now.After his divorce, Redford kept his personal life private, with rumors of brief romances – including a reported fling with co-star Jane Fonda during their Barefoot in the Park days, though both laughed it off as “onscreen chemistry.”
In 1996, he met German painter Sibylle Szaggars at Sundance, sparking a quiet, enduring love. After over a decade together, they married on July 11, 2009, in a discreet Hamburg ceremony. Szaggars, an environmental artist, shared Redford’s love for nature, collaborating on projects like the Redford Center’s eco-films. “She brought calm to my chaos,” Redford told AARP in 2011. Their partnership, marked by mutual respect, lasted until his final days, with Szaggars by his side in Utah. Redford’s seven grandchildren, from daughters Shauna and Amy, also filled his later years with joy, grounding the icon in family.
The Activist’s Fire: Environment, Politics, and a $200 Million Empire
Redford’s influence extended far beyond reels. A lifelong environmentalist, he thwarted a Utah power plant in 1975 by spotlighting it on 60 Minutes, and founded the Redford Center in 2005 to fund eco-films. He wielded celebrity like a tool, as in The Candidate, where he played a politician grappling with authenticity – mirroring his own disdain for Hollywood’s gloss. “I believe there is a role for activist filmmaking,” he told Variety in 2002.Financially, Redford built a $200 million fortune through acting, directing, and ventures like Wildwood Enterprises and Sundance Productions.
Personally, he weathered tragedy: the 1959 death of infant son Scott, and the 2020 passing of son James from ALS. Daughters Shauna and Amy, plus seven grandchildren, survive him, along with wife Sibylle Szaggars.
Tributes and a World in Mourning: From X to the Red Carpet
News of Redford’s death rippled instantly. On X, fans and peers shared heartbreak: “Robert Redford was my magnificent trio… So very sorry,” lamented one user, while another posted, “Filme que marcou minha vida… Brilhante atuação de Robert Redford.” Jane Fonda called him a “beautiful person in every way,” and Ethan Hawke recalled Quiz Show.
BBC live coverage noted Utah’s collective awakening to the loss, with outlets like The Guardian hailing him as the “incandescently handsome star who changed Hollywood forever.”Redford’s honors – including the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016), Kennedy Center Honors (2005), and an honorary Oscar (2002) – pale against his quiet revolution: proving a leading man could be a leading mind. As Meryl Streep said, one of the lions has passed. But in Sundance’s shadow, his films, and the love he nurtured, Robert Redford’s light endures.
What’s your favorite Redford moment? Share in the comments – and raise a glass to the Kid who outran time.
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