More sad news today, this time reporting that Robert Redford, actor and director, has passed away at 89. There is no news of why, just that he died in his sleep at his home in Utah.
Redford was blessed with golden hair and stunning good looks, so much so that he worried it affected his performances. He started acting in 1960, in an episode of Maverick, as Jimmy Coleman.
Working a lot in TV, he made many appearances, until he was shot into super-stardom in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, alongside Paul Newman. He played in Westerns, thrillers, romantic comedies and more.
He also starred in politically-charged movies All the President’s Men and The Candidate. In 1974, he starred in three of the top ten highest-grossing movies of that year. Other huge movies include: Barefoot in the Park, The Sting, The Great Gatsby, Brubaker, Out of Africa, Indecent Proposal, Spy Game, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and many more.
Redford liked to pay attention on set, and directed Ordinary People in 1980. That movie won him four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Supporting Actor (Timothy Hutton) and Best Original Screenplay.
In 2002 Redford accepted an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Sundance
Redford was also an advocate of indie movies, setting up Sundance in 1979. He knew that Hollywood was set up to make money, but there were more interesting stories to tell with independent movies. It gave newer directors and writers a place to showcase their work.
In 2013, at a fundraiser, Redford restated his original goal:
“To create opportunity for new artists to have a voice and focus on a category that was DOA at that time, independent film.”
Movies that came out of Sundance include Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, Richard Linklater’s Slacker and Kevin Smith’s Clerks. He was also nicknamed The Godfather of Indie movies.
He is survived by his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford, daughters Shauna Schlosser Redford and Amy Redford, and seven grandchildren.
[on his friendship with Paul Newman] There are certain friendships that are sometimes too good and too strong to talk about.
RIP Robert Redford
