Robert Redford has hung up his reins.
The actor—whose career onscreen spanned more than 70 years—died on Sept. 16 at the age of 89, his publicist confirmed to E! News. Redford passed away at his home in Sundance, the land he owned in Utah, a “place he loved, surrounded by those he loved,” his publicist shared.
The onscreen titan earned numerous accolades in the years since he first appeared on TV screens in 1960, including an Academy Award for the direction of 1980’s Ordinary People, a BAFTA for his leading role in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, three Golden Globes and a Lifetime Achievement Award presented to him by SAG in 1995.
Making his film debut in 1962’s War Hunt, Redford would go on to star in countless films such as Jeremiah Johnson, The Candidate, The Hot Rock, Three Days of the Condor, All the President’s Men, Sneakers and Out of Africa.
Younger fans will also recognize him for his work in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pete’s Dragon and Avengers: Endgame.
Redford also spent many years behind the camera, directing and producing a number of films. In addition to his directorial debut Ordinary People—which also won Best Picture at the Academy Awards—Redford directed movies such as A River Runs Through It, Quiz Show and Lions for Lambs.
One of the actor’s most enduring legacies, however, is that of Sundance. What started as a piece of property the actor bought in Utah in the 1960s to prevent it from being developed eventually evolved into the Sundance Film Festival.
Since the festival was founded in 1978, countless films have made their debut at the Utah-based event, which to this day remains the largest independent film festival in the United States.
Redford’s love for the natural world, and his desire to preserve it, would go on to define his offscreen career. A lifelong advocate for nature, the actor served on the board of the Natural Recourses Defense Council and founded The Redford Center, a non-profit organization that advertises environmental solutions through films.
“I realized how important the environment was for me, and how important it was to sustain it, the predominant thinking came from people who saw it in a different way,” Redford told Conor Schlosser, one of his seven grandkids, in an interview with Orion in 2024. “They saw the environment as something to destroy so they could build, something they could develop. So very early on, when I realized the importance of the environment, I also realized that I was going to have to play a role in protecting it, and it might not be easy.”
For a deeper look at Redford’s life and career, keep reading.
1965
1967
Barefoot In The Park
1969
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
1970
Little Fauss and Big Halsy
1973
The Way We Were
1978
1980
Directing Ordinary People
1981
1985
Out of Africa
1988
1993
Indecent Proposal
1995
1998
The Horse Whisperer
2002
2007
2012
2013
2015
2018
The Old Man & the Gun
2021
