Hollywood legend Robert Redford dies aged 89 โ RT Entertainment
Hollywood icon Robert Redford, a celebrated actor, director, and pioneer of the independent film movement, has died aged 89.
In a statement on Tuesday, Redfordโs publicist Cindi Berger said the screen legend had passed away at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah.ย
โHe will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy,โ said Berger, without disclosing the cause of the actorโs death.
Redford rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s for his charisma, rugged good looks, and compelling performances in films such as โButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidโ (1969), โThe Stingโ (1973), and โThe Way We Wereโ (1973). In 1976, he starred in โAll the Presidentโs Menโ, a political thriller in which he portrayed Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward as he and Carl Bernstein uncovered the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixonโs resignation.
Beyond acting, Redfordโs influence stretched behind the camera and into the art world. He founded the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, platforms that enabled emerging filmmakers and championed independent cinema, helping to launch films such as Quentin Tarantinoโs โReservoir Dogsโ (1992) and Steven Soderberghโs โSex, Lies, and Videotapeโ (1989).
He won the Academy Award for Best Director for โOrdinary Peopleโ (1980), which also took Best Picture honors. Redford later received an honorary Oscar in 2002, recognizing his contributions as an actor, director, and champion of independent cinema.ย
In May 1988, Redford traveled to Moscow as part of a ten-day Soviet tour, where he opened a mini festival of his films. A long-time environmental activist, he also moderated a workshop on global environmental issues such as ozone-layer depletion, organized jointly with the Soviet Academy of Sciences.
In 2015, Redford also addressed the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Climate Change while urging world leaders to take action on the issue.
A longtime supporter of the Democratic Party, Redford in 2019 accused US President Donald Trump of dictator tendencies and attempts to establish a โmonarchy in disguise.โ The actor is survived by his wife and German artist, Sibylle Szaggars, and two daughters. Two sons predeceased him.
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