Hollywood has lost one of its most beloved icons, Robert Redford dies at 89!
Hollywood is mourning the passing of one of its most beloved icons. Robert Redford, the actor, director, environmental advocate, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, has died at the age of 89. A once-in-a-generation talent, Redford’s career spanned more than six decades and transformed not only the silver screen but the way stories are told in American cinema.
According to his publicist, Cindi Berger, Redford died peacefully in his sleep early Tuesday at his home near Provo, Utah. While no cause of death was immediately disclosed, those closest to him emphasized the grace of his passing. Born on August 18, 1936, Redford leaves behind a legacy that blended dazzling artistic success with deeply personal struggles, a life that shaped him as much through hardship as through triumph.
As a child, Redford faced adversity early on. He battled polio and, by his own admission, was a poor student during his teenage years. His drinking habits cost him a scholarship at the University of Colorado Boulder. After leaving college, he worked odd jobs—including a janitorial position at The Sink, a landmark restaurant in Boulder. Years later, at the height of his fame, Redford returned to Sundance wearing a shirt bearing The Sink’s logo, a nod to the humble beginnings he never forgot.
Through those years of confusion and setbacks, there was one constant in his life: his mother, Martha Hart. “The one person who stood behind me was my mother,” Redford said, recalling her faith in him. She died tragically young, at only 40, from complications of a rare blood disorder. Redford was just 18. He carried the weight of that loss throughout his life, often saying one of his deepest regrets was not being able to thank her before she passed.
Three years after his mother’s death, Redford married historian Lola Van Wagenen. He credited her with helping him find stability and direction. Together, they had four children, though their family was marked by tragedy. Their firstborn son, Scott, died of sudden infant death syndrome at only 2½ months old. Redford later admitted that such a loss left scars that never fully healed. “As a parent, you tend to blame yourself,” he said. “That creates a scar that probably never completely heals.”
Decades later, Redford endured another devastating loss with the death of his son James “Jamie” Redford, an accomplished filmmaker and environmental activist. Jamie had battled lifelong health problems and received two liver transplants in 1993. In October 2020, he died at the age of 58 from bile duct cancer. “The grief is immeasurable with the loss of a child,” Redford’s family said at the time. Redford himself admitted that while the public often saw only his glamour and acclaim, the hardest battles were private: “The hardest thing is when your children have problems. There have been so many hits on our family no one knows about.”
Despite these personal tragedies, Redford’s professional life was marked by relentless creativity and innovation. He became one of Hollywood’s most enduring leading men, known for roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, All the President’s Men, and The Way We Were. Yet he refused to settle into typecasting or rest on stardom. In 1980, he won the Academy Award for Best Director with his debut film Ordinary People, proving himself equally brilliant behind the camera.
What set Redford apart from many of his contemporaries was his commitment to building something larger than himself. In 1981, he founded the Sundance Institute and later the Sundance Film Festival, creating a platform that gave independent filmmakers visibility they had long been denied. Under his guidance, Sundance became a cultural force, launching the careers of directors and writers whose voices reshaped cinema.
His activism was not limited to film. Redford was an outspoken advocate for environmental protection, using both his celebrity and his resources to push for conservation and sustainability long before it became a mainstream cause. For him, advocacy was not an accessory to fame but a natural extension of his purpose.
Redford is survived by his wife, his daughters Shauna Schlosser Redford and Amy Redford, and seven grandchildren. His family, like his career, reflects both joy and heartbreak, resilience and renewal.
Ultimately, Robert Redford’s legacy cannot be measured only in box-office numbers or awards. It lies in the way he reshaped Hollywood’s understanding of power and responsibility. He showed that stardom could be more than vanity—that it could be a platform for art, for change, and for nurturing others. His life reminds us that even the brightest stars carry shadows, and that resilience, more than fame, is what sustains a legacy.
Robert Redford’s story is not just that of a Hollywood icon. It is the story of a man who carried unimaginable losses, yet refused to let them silence his voice. Instead, he built institutions, championed new generations of artists, and poured his grief into creativity and advocacy. His presence will be missed, but his influence will endure for generations to come. May he rest in peace.