PARK CITY, USA – Robert Redford, the magnetic actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, whose career spanned more than six decades and transformed both Hollywood and American independent cinema, died Tuesday, September 16, 2025, morning at his home in Utah.
The Hollywood icon was 89.
Cindi Berger, his publicist, confirmed the death in a statement, saying Redford passed away “in the mountains of Utah — the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy.”
Redford holding the Oscar he won for best director for “Ordinary People” at the 1981 Academy Awards. | AP file
Screen Icon of the 1960s and 1970s
Redford rose to fame in the late 1960s with his star-making role as the Sundance Kid in George Roy Hill’s “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), opposite Paul Newman.
His windswept hair, understated charisma and knack for portraying complex but charming characters made him one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men.
Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein, second from left, and Bob Woodward, third from left, are flanked by actors Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as they attend the premiere of “All the President’s Men” in 1976. | AP file
He cemented his reputation with roles in “The Candidate” (1972), “The Way We Were” (1973), and “The Sting” (1973), the latter reuniting him with Newman and earning him his sole Academy Award nomination for best actor.
He went on to embody Bob Woodward in “All the President’s Men” (1976), a film he also helped bring to screen, underscoring his political awareness and commitment to storytelling rooted in civic life.
President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Robert Redford on Nov. 22, 2016. | Andrew Harnik/AP fileHollywood Icon Robert Redford
Acclaimed Director and Storyteller
Redford turned to directing in 1980 with “Ordinary People,” a wrenching family drama that won four Academy Awards, including best picture and best director.
He went on to direct films such as “A River Runs Through It” (1992), “Quiz Show” (1994), and “The Horse Whisperer” (1998).
In a 2018 interview, reflecting on his career behind the camera, Redford said: “I saw other stories out there that weren’t having a chance to be told and I thought, ‘Well, maybe I can commit my energies to giving those people a chance.’ As I look back on it, I feel very good about that.”
Redford, Elizabeth Ashley and Kurt Kaznar backstage after opening night at New York Biltmore Theater in1963. | Marty Lederhandler/AP fileHollywood Icon Robert Redford
Founder of Sundance
Beyond acting and directing, Redford left a lasting legacy as the founder of the Sundance Institute in 1981.
The organisation created the Sundance Film Festival, which has grown into one of the most influential platforms for independent cinema, launching the careers of Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, and many others.
The annual festival in Park City, Utah, became a launchpad for films such as “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” (1989), “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), and “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006), reshaping the landscape of modern filmmaking.
Robert Redford, left, as Sundance Kid and Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy in the 1969 western “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” | John Springer Collection/Corbis via Getty ImagesPortrait of American actor Robert Redford on the set of the film ‘The Way We Were’, directed by Sydney Pollack, 1973. | Steve Schapiro/Corbis via Getty Images
Recognition and Later Career
Redford received numerous honours, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016.
“We admire Bob not just for his remarkable acting, but for having figured out what to do next,” Mr Obama said at the White House ceremony.
Even into his later years, Redford embraced challenging roles, including the survival drama “All Is Lost” (2013) and the elegiac “The Old Man & the Gun” (2018), which he described as his farewell to acting.
Robert Redford as Johnny Hooker and Paul Newman as Henry Gondorff on the set of the film “The Sting,” in 1973. | Silver Screen Collection/via Getty Images fileHollywood Icon Robert Redford | Douglas Kirkland/Corbis via Getty Images)
Early Life and Personal Legacy
Charles Robert Redford Jr. was born on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California.
He pursued the arts after a period of drifting through Europe, eventually training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.
His early success on Broadway in Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” (1963) led to his breakthrough in Hollywood.
He is survived by his wife, Sibylle Szaggars, and two daughters from his marriage to historian Lola Van Wagenen, Shauna and Amy.
Redford and Van Wagenen lost two sons: Scott, who died in infancy, and James, who died of cancer in 2020.
Robert Redford directs actors Brad Pitt, left, and Craig Sheffer through a scene on the set of “A River Runs Through It,” based on the story by Norman Maclean. | Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty ImagesRobert Redford has had a legendary career starring in Hollywood classic films such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Sting” and “All the President’s Men.” As he rose to fame, Redford moved behind the camera to even more praise with films like “Quiz Show” and “Ordinary People,” for which he won an Academy Award. More than just his films, Redford is also an outspoken environmentalist and philanthropist, founding the Sundance Institute which showcases independent films at its annual festival. Robert Redford poses at the Sundance Resort in Provo, Utah, Sept. 23, 2013. | Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times/ReduxRobert Redford, left as Denys, Meryl Streep, as Karen, and Austrian actor Klaus Maria Brandauer, Bror, on set at the Shaba National Game Reserve in Kenya for the film “Out of Africa,” based on the book by Karen Blixen and Judith Thurman, and directed by Sydney Pollack. | Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty ImagesRobert Redford, as Louis Waters, and Jane Fonda, as Addie Moore, team up again for “Our Souls at Night,” a film about two widowers who, after living next to each other for years, form a relationship. | NetflixPresident Barack Obama awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to motion picture legend Robert Redford during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Nov. 22, 2016, in Washington. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesRobert Redford, as the title character, on the set of “Jeremiah Johnson,” based on the novel by Vardis Fisher and directed by Sydney Pollack. | Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty ImagesRobert Redford and Jane Fonda pose in a promotional portrait for “Barefoot In The Park.” Redford’s portrayal of the uptight businessman in Neil Simon’s play was his biggest Broadway success and would later revive his character in the 1967 film adaptation. | Silver Screen Collection/Getty ImagesRobert Redford, left, as The Sundance Kid, and Paul Newman, as Butch Cassidy, in a scene from “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” | Twentieth Century FOXAlexander Pierce, played by Robert Redford, shakes the hand of Captain America, played by Chris Evans, in a scene from “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” | Marvel StudiosRobert Redford in his senior yearbook photo from Van Nuys High School in Van Nuys, Calif., 1954. | Seth Poppel/Yearbook LibraryRedford started his career out with small guest roles on various TV shows during the 1960’s before landing his first major film role. Robert Redford stands on the end of a diving board in the debut episode of “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” entitled A Piece of the Action, in California, June 28, 1962. | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images“Indecent Proposal” is about wealthy financier John Gage, played by Robert Redford, who offers one million dollars to spend one night with the wife of a happily married couple, played by Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson. | Paramount Pictures/ABCDustin Hoffman, center, as Carl Bernstein, and Robert Redford, as Bob Woodward, in a scene from “All the President’s Men.” Based the events of Nixon’s presidency, Redford plays famed Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, who with the help of Carl Bernstein, uncovered the details of the Watergate scandal. | Warner Bros.Robert Redford in New York City, circa 1970. | Art Zelin/Getty ImagesSundance Institute President and founder Robert Redford speaks at “The Queen Of Versailles” premiere at the Eccles Theatre during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 19, 2012, in Park City, Utah. | Jeff Vespa/Getty ImagesRobert Redford testifies at the House Appropriations hearing on “Funding for the Arts” at the Rayburn House Office Building, April 1, 2008, in Washington, D.C. | Paul Morigi/WireImage/Getty ImagesAfter a brief tenure at the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship, Robert Redford moved to Europe to live a bohemian lifestyle as an artist and learning about European culture. Robert Redford sits by the River Thames in London. | Victor Blackman/Getty ImagesSANTA BARBARA, CA – FEBRUARY 07: Actor Robert Redford speaks the 29th Santa Barbara International Film Festival American Riviera Award to Robert Redford at the Arlington Theatre on February 7, 2014 in Santa Barbara, California. | Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF
Sundance Institute President and Founder Robert Redford speaks onstage during the Day One Press Conference at the Egyptian Theatre during the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 16, 2014 in Park City, Utah. | George Pimentel/Getty Images
