One of cinemas true icons, Oscar winner Robert Redford, has died. He was 89.
In a statement to Variety, Rogers & Cowan PMK publicity chief Cindi Berger confirmed the news, saying Redford passed away in his sleep at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah surrounded by loved ones. The family requests privacy at this time.
In his time he won an Oscar and an honorary Oscar, a BAFTA, two Golden Globes, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the SAG Life Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, an Honorary César and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Born in Santa Monica, Redford’s screen career began in the 1960s on “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “The Twilight Zone” and Broadway success with “Barefoot in the Park” which he reprised on screen four years later.
He really broke through though in 1969 with “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” leading to a string of famous roles including “Downhill Racer,” “The Hot Rock,” “Jeremiah Johnson,” “The Candidate,” “The Sting,” “The Way We Were,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Three Days of the Condor,” “The Great Waldo Pepper,” “All the President’s Men,” “A Bridge Too Far,” and “The Electric Horseman”.
He shifted partly to directing with 1980’s “Ordinary People” which won Best Picture and Best Director. He directed nine films ultimately, including “A River Runs Through It,” “Quiz Show,” “The Horse Whisperer,” “The Legend of Bagger Vance” and “Lions for Lambs”. He was also an executive producer on TV’s “Dark Winds”.
He never stopped acting though, appearing in major roles in “The Natural,” “Out of Africa,” “Sneakers,” “Legal Eagles,” “Havana,” “Indecent Proposal,” “Up Close & Personal,” “The Last Castle,” “Spy Game,” “All Is Lost,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “A Walk in the Woods,” “Truth,” “Pete’s Dragon,” “Our Souls at Night,” “The Old Man & the Gun,” “Avengers: Endgame” and more.
Redford also famously created the Sundance Film Festival, which became the country’s largest festival for independent films. He was a strong supporter of environmentalism, Native American rights, LGBT rights, and the arts and politically supported both sides of politics at different times.
He was also twice married, had to deal with two of his kids passing at a young age,. He leaves behind his daughters Shauna and Amy, his wife Sibylle, his grandchildren and many fans.
