Movie legend Robert Redford dead at 89

The actor Antonio Banderas calls Redford an “icon of cinema in every sense” in a tribute posted on X.

“Actor, director, producer, and founder of the Sundance Festival. His talent will continue to move us forever, shining through the frames and in our memory,” writes Banderas of Redford.

Image source, Getty Images

Sundance Institute, an organisation founded by Redford that supports independent filmmaking, has just released a statement following the actor’s death.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our founder and friend Robert Redford,” the statement says.

The statement continues: “Bob’s vision of a space and a platform for independent voices launched a movement that, over four decades later, has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema in the U.S. and around the world.

“Beyond his enormous contributions to culture at large, we will miss his generosity, clarity of purpose, curiosity, rebellious spirit, and his love for the creative process.

“We are humbled to be among the stewards of his remarkable legacy, which will continue to guide the Institute in perpetuity.”

Redford was an advocate for independent cinema, leading to his creation of the Sundance Institute which is known for its prestigious annual Sundance Film Festival.

The festival has helped launched the careers of directors including Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh and provided a launchpad for films such as Reservoir Dogs, Sex, Lies And Videotape, The Blair Witch Project, Little Miss Sunshine and recent Oscar-winner Coda.

American filmmaker James Gunn shares a tribute to Redford on Instagram, following his death.

In an Instagram post, the Superman director writes: “I grew up with his [Redford’s] movies: his quiet, unforced performances and ever-present grace. He was THE movie star, and will be greatly missed. Rest in Peace, Robert.”

He also shares his top 10 Redford films – aside from The Sting and and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – which include The Candidate, Barefoot in the Park, and The Natural.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Sundance Resort, Utah

Everyone here in Utah is waking up to news of Robert Redford’s death, which broke at just past 06:00 local time (13:00 BST).

It was the lead story on the morning newscasts, reflecting on his work as an actor and “his big impact” on Utah.

This will be the last year that the Sundance Film Festival is held in the state before it moves to Boulder, Colorado. Redford had relinquished control of the festival and said he understood it needed to “adapt and grow,” but the anchor on air wondered if it secretly saddened the actor and director.

Online, locals have been sharing their stories of meeting him.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Sundance Resort, Utah

Everyone I’ve spoken to here at Sundance, not far from Robert Redford’s home where he passed away, was sad to hear of his passing.

Gene Nemanich is here hiking, but also remembers Redford filmed in his home state of Illinois, when making the film The Sting. He tells me he couldn’t believe he was here when the actor died.

He says he had great charisma on screen and what he’d achieved with the Sundance Institute is “just terrific”.

Amanda Merl is also visiting and says its surreal being here at the time of his death “in a place he loved and spent so much time”.

The Natural was her favourite Redford film – he was “a classic actor” in the sense of “good old Hollywood” she says.

Image source, Getty Images

Jane Fonda – who shared the silver screen with Redford on a number of occasions – describes Redford as a “beautiful person in every way”.

“It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone. I can’t stop crying,” she says in quotes cited by the AFP news agency.

“He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way. He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.”

The pair developed a long-lasting friendship after co-starring in various films together – including in Redford’s big-screen debut in 1960 when he played a minor role in Tall Story.

Fonda has previous admitted to falling in love with him each time they worked together.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Sundance Resort, Utah

Image source, Getty Images

Robert Redford grew up in the beach city of Santa Monica, but Utah was his home of choice.

In the stunning Rocky Mountains, he found privacy that other stars could only dream of, built a family retreat and pursued his other creative ambitions.

In 1961, he bought the Timp Haven ski resort here in Provo Canyon and renamed it after the role that made him famous, the Sundance Kid.

Twenty year later, with the founding of the Sundance Institute, he made Utah the centre for independent filmmaking.

The first year, ten emerging filmmakers were invited to work on their projects with leading writers, actors and directors and those workshops still continue today.

Ian Youngs
Entertainment and Arts reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Global fame came in 1969 with Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.

The then 33-year-old’s portrayal of the laidback Kid, in contrast to Paul Newman’s fast-talking Butch, proved to be one of Hollywood’s great partnerships.

Ironically, Redford nearly missed out on the part after one studio executive said: “He’s just another Hollywood blonde. Throw a stick out of a window in Malibu, you’ll hit six like him.”

The studio did everything it could to avoid hiring Redford, until Newman – a huge established star – stepped in and insisted.

The two actors found they shared a love of theatre, and remained firm friends until Newman’s death in 2008.

“We’d play tricks on each other,” Redford said of his relationship with Newman. “The more sophisticated the joke the better.”

Read more in our obituary of Robert Redford.

Former secretary of state and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has described Robert Redford as a “true American icon”.

Posting on X, she says: “I always admired Robert Redford, not only for his legendary career as an actor and director but for what came next.

“He championed progressive values like protecting the environment and access to the arts while creating opportunities for new generations of activists and filmmakers.”

A picture of her as first lady and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, awarding Redford the National Medal of Arts Award in 1997 accompanies the post.

Image source, Getty Images

Outside of his film work, Robert Redford was also a keen environmental campaigner.

In 1975, it was announced that a power plant would be built in Utah, where he was living at the time.

Describing this as a potential disaster, Redford invited CBS News’ 60 Minutes to the state to discuss the issue, which resulted in the plans for the power plant being scrapped.

“Anytime anybody voices a concern about the quality of life that we’re going to be leading we’re called environmentalists. And if that’s so, I am an environmentalist,” he said during an interview on the show.

Redford established the Institute for Resource Management in the 1980s, which aimed to bring people together from different sides to find compromises that would be beneficial for the environment.

In 1989, Redford organised the Sundance Symposium on on Global Climate Change.

And then in 2015, he addressed the United Nations, urging them to “take action now on climate change”.

Redford was also the co-founder of the Redford Center, a US-based non-profit organisation dedicated to environmental impact filmmaking.

Image source, Getty Images

Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo has just posted a heartfelt tribute to the giant of American cinema.

He writes: “With love and admiration. Thank you Mr Redford for your everlasting impact. Will be felt for generations. R.I.P.”

Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis has also commended Redford, rounding up the different sides to his achievements.

She writes on social media: “A LIFE!

“FAMILY• ART• TRANSFORMATION • ADVOCACY• CREATION• LEGACY

“Thank you Robert Redford.”

A statement has been posted on a Robert Redford Instagram fan page on the news of his death.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Robert Redford,” it says, alongside a broken heart emoji.

“In honour of his legacy, his Instagram account will be deleted.”

Update: An earlier version of this post said the Instagram page belonged to Robert Redford, it has now been corrected to say that it was a fan account

Image source, Getty Images

Actor Meryl Streep has remembered her Out of Africa co-star in a moving tribute, saying “one of the lions has passed”.

In a statement shared by her publicist, AFP news agency reports, she adds: “Rest in peace my lovely friend.”

Streep and Redford worked together on the 1985 film, which was directed by Sydney Pollack.

The film won a handful of Academy Awards, including best picture.

Filmmaker Ron Howard is the latest to issue a tribute to Robert Redford, who he calls “a tremendously influential cultural figure”.

In a post on X, Howard praises his “creative choices” as an actor, producer and director as well as his work launching the Sundance Film Festival.

“Artistic Gamechanger,” he adds.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington DC

Image source, Reuters

We’ve just briefly heard from US President Donald Trump, who was told of Robert Redford’s death by reporters just before boarding Marine One to begin his trip to the UK.

“Robert Redford had a series of years where there was nobody better,” Trump said. “There was a period of time when he was the hottest. I thought he was great.”

Trump did not address Redford’s previous criticism of Trump, who he described as “dictator-like” in a column written for NBC in 2019.

“Our shared tolerance and respect for the truth, our sacred rule of law, our essential freedom of the press and our precious freedoms of speech — all have been threatened by a single man,” Redford wrote at the time, during Trump’s first term as president.

Colin Paterson
Entertainment correspondent

I think Sundance Festival will be one of the things that Redford will be proudest of.

It was 1981 when he set up the Sundance Institute, he had just won best director at the Oscars for Ordinary People.

He could have done whatever he liked with his career at that point, and that is what he chose to do – set up this film festival to encourage independent cinema.

But when you look back at his career, it is that spell in the 1970s when he was the biggest movie star on the planet.

What a movie star he was, every year the cinema owners in the US voted for who is the biggest movie star on the planet.

They went for Robert Redford three years in a row in the middle of the 70s.

Image source, Reuters

With the news of Redford’s passing, more commemorations for the famed Hollywood actor are starting to come through.

Canadian actor William Shatner writes, “condolences to the family of Robert Redford,” while author Stephen King describes Redford as being “part of a new and exciting Hollywood in the 70s and 80s”.

“Hard to believe he was 89,” King adds.

Another tribute for “one of the all-time great movie stars”, writes Piers Morgan.

“A true Hollywood legend who starred in so many of my favourite films: Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Way We Were, All The President’s Men,” he adds.

“What a career, what an actor, what a sad loss.”

Comedian and actor Noel Fielding is among those to have written a tribute to Redford this afternoon.

Posting on Instagram, he writes: “RIP Robert Redford ! A truly great movie star ⭐So handsome my eyes hurt looking at you x x”