Hollywood Icon Robert Redford Passes Away at 89

Robert Redford, the popular actor, director and founder of the Sundance film festival, passed away peacefully in his sleep in his home in Sundance, Utah, surrounded by family. He was 89 years old.

Charles Robert Redford Jr. was born in 1936 in the Hollywood suburb of Santa Monica, California, and made it as a household name during the 1960s, playing the Sundance Kid in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) alongside Paul Newman.

He was charismatic and low-key in films such as The Sting (1973), which gained him an Oscar nomination, All the President’s Men (1976), and Out of Africa (1985). Redford also became a director himself, and his first film, Ordinary People (1980), earned him an Academy Award of Best Director and Best Picture.

Redford had much more influence than acting and directing.

• Hollywood Legend Robert Redford Dies Peacefully at 89
• Actor, Director, and Sundance Founder Robert Redford Passes Away
• Robert Redford Remembered: Hollywood Icon Dies at Age 89

He started the Sundance Institute in 1981, which spawned the Sundance Film Festival, a platform of independent filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh, and independent films, including Reservoir Dogs and Little Miss Sunshine.

He also loved telling stories in his environmental activism. Later in 2005 he co-founded The Redford Center to help finance films aimed at environmental concerns..

Redford was also a dedicated advocate for the environment and progressive causes, often speaking out on issues close to his heart. Though he announced his retirement in 2018 after The Old Man & the Gun, he surprised fans with a cameo in Dark Winds in 2025, a show he helped produce. Despite personal tragedies, like losing his son, Redford’s spirit remained strong.

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He leaves behind his wife, Sibylle Szaggars, and his children. Stars like Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep have shared heartfelt tributes, remembering a man whose work touched millions and whose legacy will live on.