Hollywood legend Robert Redford has died at the age of 89. Redford rose to prominence with his role opposite Paul Newman in Butch Cᴀssidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969, before partnering with Newman again in the Oscar-winning 1973 caper movie The Sting. Around this time, he also starred in movies like The Way We Were and All The President’s Men.
Redford made his directorial debut with the 1980 Oscar-winning drama Ordinary People, which scooped up four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. He also directed the movies Quiz Show and A River Runs Through It during the 1990s. He had mostly retired from acting by the late 2010s, with his last non-voice acting role being 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Per The New York Times, the actor and director died in his sleep, but a cause of death has not been confirmed yet. The actor pᴀssed away this morning at his home in the Utah mountains, according to a statement from his representative. Redford is survived by two of his four children.
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Redford’s death is a huge loss for American cinema, as his movies often helped the country make sense of itself. Even though Redford had retired from performing and directing, he remained an executive producer for the psychological thriller TV series Dark Winds.
His absence in the film industry will be a vacuum, but he has surely inspired future generations of actors, performers, and activists to follow in his footsteps, and make their mark on cinema in the same way he has.
Robert Redford’s Hollywood Legacy
Redford remains one of the biggest icons of Hollywood cinema, with a strong career as both an actor and director, as well as a prominent figure in activism and environmentalism. Acting consistently since the 1960s, Redford’s filmography expanded toward the end of his career, with an iconic role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Redford also founded the Sundance Insтιтute in 1981, which later went on to establish the Sundance Film Festival, an annual event that highlights independent cinema from around the world. The festival continues to this day, though 2026 will be the last year it takes place in Park City, Utah.
As one of the last names from the classic era of Hollywood, his legend is tied to the likes of actors including Burt Reynolds, Paul Newman, and Gene Hackman. There is no doubt that Redford’s loss is going to be felt across the industry, and his impact on a generation of stars cannot be overstated.
