Robert Redford, Hollywood Icon and Sundance Founder, Dead at 89 [WATCH]

Robert Redford, the legendary actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, died on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89. His representative confirmed that Redford passed away at his home at Sundance in Utah, surrounded by family, as reported by Fox News.

“Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah – the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved,” his representative told Fox News Digital.

“He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy.”

Robert Redford has died at 89 years old.

The film icon starred in classic movies such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men,” won an Oscar for directing “Ordinary People” and founded the Sundance Film Institute.https://t.co/MLJnHZHcWg pic.twitter.com/bAZBLVKj1W

— Variety (@Variety) September 16, 2025

Born Charles Robert Redford Jr. on August 18, 1937, Redford began his career studying art before turning to acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

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He made early television appearances in shows such as The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Untouchables in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Redford’s Broadway breakout came with Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, which he later reprised on screen opposite Jane Fonda. His film career quickly accelerated, with iconic roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973).

Throughout the 1970s, Redford became one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars with films including The Candidate (1972), The Way We Were (1973), and All the President’s Men (1976).

In 1980, Redford won the Academy Award for Best Director for Ordinary People, which also won Best Picture.

He continued directing with films such as The Horse Whisperer (1998), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), and Quiz Show (1994), the latter earning additional Oscar nominations.

Beyond acting and directing, Redford transformed the independent film landscape by founding the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Originally conceived as a training ground for new filmmakers, Sundance grew into the most influential independent film festival in the world.

Robert Redford passed away at his home in Utah this morning.

He was 89.

RIP. pic.twitter.com/ADsytS4orH

— Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) September 16, 2025

“For me, the word to be underscored is ‘independence,’” Redford told the Associated Press in 2018. He explained his vision to give a platform to artists whose stories were often overlooked by the mainstream film industry.

Redford also took on political themes in his work. In The Candidate, he portrayed a Senate hopeful questioning the compromises of political life. In All the President’s Men, he played journalist Bob Woodward, dramatizing the Watergate investigation.

Over his five-decade career, Redford starred alongside Paul Newman, Meryl Streep, and Tom Cruise. He continued to surprise audiences late in his career with films such as Out of Africa (1985) and the survival drama All Is Lost (2013).

Con 89 años se nos ha ido el gran Robert Redford. Se va una leyenda absoluta del 7º arte…
Gracias por “El mejor”, por “La jauría humana”, por “El golpe”, y por tantas y tantas obras maestras.

Que la tierra te sea leve, maestro
DEP pic.twitter.com/DCb7re0Pmt

— Cinefilia Cult (@cinefiliacult) September 16, 2025

Redford received an honorary Oscar in 2002 for his contributions to film and his support for independent cinema.

He was married twice and is survived by his wife, Sibylle Szaggars, and two children. Two of his children, Scott Anthony, who died in infancy in 1959, and James Redford, a filmmaker who passed away in 2020, preceded him in death.

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