Robert Redford, the golden-haired titan of American cinema and the visionary behind the Sundance Film Festival, has died at 89. His publicist, Cindi Berger, confirmed that he passed peacefully at his beloved home in the Utah mountains, surrounded by family.
With a career that stretched over six decades, Redford carved his name into film history with unforgettable performances in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, and All the President’s Men. Yet he was much more than a matinee idol. Redford was a champion of independent voices, a daring director, and an outspoken activist.
He won his first Oscar not for acting, but for directing the searing drama Ordinary People in 1980. Decades later, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, praising him for “figuring out what to do next” after conquering Hollywood.
Redford’s legacy is inextricably linked to the Sundance Institute, which he founded in 1981 to give underrepresented storytellers a platform. The annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City became a cultural powerhouse, nurturing the careers of Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, and many more.
Born in Santa Monica in 1936, Redford was once a struggling artist and athlete who drifted through Europe before discovering acting in New York. Broadway success in Barefoot in the Park led to a string of film hits that defined the 1970s and cemented his screen presence: smart, soulful, and effortlessly cool.
He became an unlikely political force in the industry, producing All the President’s Men and ensuring it adhered to journalistic accuracy. In directing, he continued to explore American identity, power, and conscience through films like Quiz Show and Lions for Lambs.
In later years, he astonished audiences in All Is Lost—a nearly wordless survival tale—and made a Marvel cameo as a sly villain. His swan song, The Old Man & the Gun, was a gentle nod to the legacy he leaves behind.
Redford is survived by his wife, artist Sibylle Szaggars, and two daughters from his marriage to historian Lola Van Wagenen. He endured the personal loss of two sons, Scott and David.
He departs not just as a star, but as a north star—for independent film, artistic risk, and civic responsibility. The Sundance Kid may be gone, but his spirit rides on.