Robert Redford, Oscar-Winning Actor and Director, Dies at 89

Robert Redford, a five time Golden Globe Awards winner died at the age of 89. His family confirmed that he passed away peacefully at his home in Sundance, on Tuesday 16 September.

Redford was an actor, director, producer, and a champion of independent film. He became popular in the 1960s with roles in “Inside Daisy Clover” and “Barefoot in the Park”. He also starred in classics like “Butch Cassidy” and the “Sundance Kid”, “The Sting”, “All the President’s Men”, and “Out of Africa”.

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As a director, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for Ordinary People in 1980. The movie also won Best Picture.

Aside acting and directing, Redford founded the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival. During his tenure, Sundance became an important platform for filmmakers outside the mainstream.

In August 2018, Robert announced that he would be retiring after making The Old Man & the Gun, inwhich he co-starred alongside Glover Danny, Casey Affleck, Waits Tom and Sissy Spacek. “Never say never, but I pretty well concluded that this would be it for me in terms of acting, and I’ll move towards retirement after this ’cause I’ve been doing it since I was 21,” he said at that time.

After a while, he was spotted back on set,

He said “I think it was a mistake to say that I was retiring because you never know. It did feel like it was time, maybe, to concentrate on another category.”

The legend was back on screen few months ago after 6 years. His last screen role was a cameo in 2025 on Dark Winds.

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His personal life had ups and downs. He was married twice and had children. One of his children died in 2020, James Redford. He died at age 58 from bile-duct cancer in his liver.

Redford is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren, who continue to be involved in the Sundance organizations and philanthropic efforts he built. He will be remembered not only as an actor and director but also in the institutions he built.

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After the announcement of his death, family and loved ones across the film industry are paying their respects. Actress Meryl Streep said “One of the lions has passed.” Jane Fonda described him as “a beautiful person in every way” and praised his belief in an America worth fighting for. Journalist Bob Woodward, whose reporting inspired All the President’s Men, called him “a noble and principled force for good.” Actor Mark Ruffalo shared that Redford was his hero and thanked him for his generosity as a mentor.

The legacy of Robert Redford will never be forgotten.