Film Industry Powerhouse Robert Redford Passes Away Peacefully in Sleep

Born in Santa Monica, California in 1936, Robert Redford shot to fame with the 1969 film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” In 1973, he starred in “The Sting,” which won the Oscar for Best Picture, also earning Redford his only nomination for Best Actor in his career. In 1980, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for his directorial debut, “Ordinary People,” marking a successful transition from movie star to director.

Redford remained one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. As a romantic hero on screen, he was inseparable from his female co-stars, including Jane Fonda in “Barefoot in the Park,” Barbra Streisand in “The Way We Were,” and, notably, his collaboration with “Meryl” Meryl Streep in “Out of Africa,” which made him a household name as Hollywood’s golden boy.

After the sad news broke, his three female co-stars also expressed their sorrow. Jane Fonda posted a still from “Our Souls at Night” on social media, commenting: “This morning I was deeply shocked to hear the news of Redford’s passing. I cannot stop crying. He meant so much to me and was a wonderful person in every way.

He represented an America for which we must continue to strive.” Barbra Streisand also shared on social media, reminiscing about her time filming with Redford: “Every day on set was exciting, nerve-wracking, and joyful. He was charming, smart, and always fun — one of the greatest actors of all time.” Meryl Streep said via statement: “A lion has left us. Rest in peace, my dear friend.”

Other signature works by Redford include 1972’s “The Candidate,” and as director, the 1992 film “A River Runs through It,” which became an all-time classic and also launched Brad Pitt to stardom.

In 2018, Redford starred in “The Old Man & the Gun” and announced his retirement from acting. On March 9th this year, in the premiere episode of the third season of the series “Dark Winds,” he made a surprise cameo, playing a prisoner playing chess in the police station’s jail cell. This brief appearance not only marked his return to the screen after his 2019 appearance in “Avengers: Endgame,” but also became his final on-screen role.

In addition to his roles as actor and director, Redford founded the Sundance Institute in Utah in 1981, aiming to support emerging directors and independent filmmakers. In 1984, he created the Sundance Film Festival, which quickly became the world’s most important independent film platform, allowing directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan to emerge and nurturing countless young talents. In 1989, Redford was hailed as the “godfather of the American independent film movement.”

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Spanning a career of over half a century, Robert Redford not only created numerous box office and critical hits, but also founded the Sundance Festival, profoundly impacting the global film industry. However, off-screen, his life was riddled with pain unknown to many, experiencing the loss of children, his mother, as well as health and financial challenges.

Redford and his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen, welcomed their eldest son Scott in 1959, but just 10 weeks after birth he died suddenly of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Redford recalled years later: “That was a heavy blow. I was just 21, my wife was 20, we had just started, and we had nothing.”

An even greater pain came in 2020, when Redford’s third child James died of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) at 58. He had previously undergone two liver transplants due to a rare autoimmune disease. At the time, Redford issued a statement: “The grief of losing a child is immeasurable. James was a loving son, husband, and father. His legacy will live on through his children, art, films, and his stewardship of the environment.”

The family’s misfortunes didn’t end there. Daughter Shauna’s boyfriend was shot and killed in Colorado in 1983—a case still unsolved. A year later, she nearly drowned in a car accident, but was saved just in time by a passerby. Redford’s own childhood also bore its share of tragedy. His mother died of a blood disorder when she was only 40, and he was just 18. He once recalled movingly: “My mother was always smiling, brave, and always saw the positive in everything. She was the only one who would always support me.”#

News Source: United Daily News