Film legend Robert Redford dies at age 89

Robert Redford, the handsome and charismatic silver screen star who used his influence to speak out for independent cinema, environmentalism and LGBT advocacy, has died at the age of 89.

Robert Redford at the honoring event within the framework of the 18th Marrakech International Film Festival, December 6, 2019 in Marrakech, Morocco - Photo: Pioneer

According to USA Today, Robert Redford breathed his last in the arms of his family on September 16 at his home in Sundance, in the mountains of Utah (USA).

Robert Redford's spokeswoman, Cindi Berger, said: "His image is deeply engraved in everyone's mind. The family hopes to respect their privacy at this time."

One-time American cinema icon

An acting career spanning more than 60 years has made Robert Redford a Hollywood icon, renowned for his ability to choose the perfect co-star.

He created classic collaborations with Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973) - the film that earned Robert Redford an Oscar nomination for Best Actor; paired with Barbra Streisand in the romantic ballad The Way We Were (1973); or portrayed the drama with Dustin Hoffman in All the President's Men (1976).

Robert Redford was the epitome of an "American movie star": windblown hair, elegant demeanor and charming rebelliousness - Photo: Glamour

Not only shining in front of the camera, Robert Redford also achieved success behind the screen. In 1981, he won the Oscar for Best Director for the family film Ordinary People .

In the same year, he founded the Sundance Institute, laying the foundation for the development of independent cinema, theater and music . From here, the Sundance Film Festival was born and became an annual event in Park City, Utah, contributing to bringing the names of many young directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, Kevin Smith, Darren Aronofsky, Paul Thomas Anderson... to Hollywood.

Robert Redford is also an enthusiastic environmental activist. He moved to Utah in 1961 and has been fighting for wildlife conservation in the state and the western United States.

Robert Redford and co-star Jane Fonda in Our Souls at Night airing on Netflix

Robert Redford has remained committed to his craft as he ages. In 2017, he reunited with Jane Fonda in the Netflix film Our Souls at Night . A year later, he appeared in The Old Man & the Gun at the age of 82 - a work he has declared to be his final role, although he insists he will not retire.

"To me, retirement means stopping or giving up something. While we still have life ahead of us, why not live it as fully as possible, as long as possible?" - he shared with CBS Sunday Morning in 2018.

In October 2020, Robert Redford wrote a commentary on CNN, expressing concern about climate change being overlooked in the context of fierce wildfires in the American West.

Robert Redford poses for a portrait in New York, 2008 - Photo: REUTERS

Robert Redford is survived by his wife, artist Sibylle Szaggars, and two daughters. His two sons had died before him.

"Robert Redford is not just an actor. He always knows what he's going to do next," former President Barack Obama said when awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

Perhaps that is Robert Redford's legacy: a star constantly searching for new stories, new voices, and new ways to make his mark.

Robert Redford was born in 1936 in Santa Monica, California, near Los Angeles. His father worked hard at various jobs, from milkman to accountant, before moving the family to a larger house in Van Nuys.

Because his family could not afford a babysitter, Robert Redford often spent hours at the local library, avidly reading books on Greek and Roman mythology.

However, he was not a model student. "I had no patience… I was not inspired. I found it more interesting to be naughty and seek adventure outside" - Robert Redford recalled.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/huyen-thoai-dien-anh-robert-redford-qua-doi-o-tuoi-89-20250916204623869.htm