SUNDANCE - Robert Redford — actor, director, and the subtly revolutionary creator of the Sundance Institute — died September 16 at his home in Sundance, Utah. He was 89.
Redford's publicist, Cindi Berger, said he passed peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by family.
For more than six decades, Redford was the consummate American icon: smart, self-sufficient and a little bit elusive. His star-making role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made him a legend. The Sting, All the President’s Men, The Way We Were, and Out of Africa followed.
He made decency cool and introspection epic. When he turned to directing, he was just as masterful. His 1980 debut, Ordinary People, a quietly devastating family drama, earned him the Academy Award for Best Director and proved that he was a true artist behind the camera, too.
But off-screen, Redford was an even more transformative figure for the industry. With the founding of the Sundance Institute and its now-iconic festival, he created a home for filmmakers beyond the Hollywood studio system. What started as a small gathering in Utah grew into the center of the American independent film movement, launching the careers of filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and Ava DuVernay, among many, many others.
Born Charles Robert Redford Jr. on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, he was raised in Van Nuys and attended schools for art and drama before working in television and the theater.
A lifelong environmentalist and defender of artistic freedom, he used his platform to advocate for the power of stories that were both beautiful and driven by conscience.
He is survived by his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford, daughters Shauna and Amy, and several grandchildren. Two sons — James and Scott — predeceased him. A private service will be held in Sundance; on the land he loved.
By Allan R. Ellenberger - The Hollywoodland Revue
