Robert Redford, Hollywood legend and Oscar winner, dies aged 89
The acclaimed actor was also the founder of the Sundance Film Festival.
Robert Redford, the actor, Oscar winner and Hollywood legend, has died at the age of 89.
The news of Redford's death was announced by his publicist Cindi Berger, who said in a statement: "Robert Redford passed away on September 16th at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah – the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy."
Redford was born in Santa Monica, California in 1936, and began his acting career in the late 1950s, acting on stage and on TV in New York.
He came to prominence in the 1960s for his leading roles in films including Barefoot in the Park and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role in 1973's The Sting, in which he starred opposite Paul Newman.
From this, he went on to star in major films including All the President's Men, A Bridge Too Far and Out of Africa, while more recently he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing Alexander Pierce in Captain America: Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame.
Redford announced he was retiring from acting in 2018, with his last film set to be The Old Man & the Gun, which was released that year. However, he did make brief returns as an actor, narrator and executive producer on subsequent projects.
During his career, Redford was also a director, helming the 1980 Ordinary People, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director. Other films he directed included 2010's The Conspirator and 2012's The Company You Keep.
He was also known as the founder of the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, in order to provide support to independent film-makers.
In recognition of this and his wider contribution to film, Redford received the Academy Honorary Award in 2002, and was noted as an "inspiration to independent and innovative filmmakers everywhere".
Redford married historian and activist Lola Van Wagenen in 1958, but the couple divorced in 1995. He married Sibylle Szaggars in 2009, who he leaves behind.
He had four children with Van Wagenen – Scott, James, Shauna and Amy. Scott died at the age of two months from sudden infant death syndrome, while James died of cancer in 2020. Shauna is now an artist and Amy is a director.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
