Beloved film icon Robert Redford passes away at the age of 89
Robert Redford, Legendary Actor and Founder of Sundance Film Festival, Passes Away
Robert Redford, the iconic actor and environmental activist, passed away at his home in Sundance, Utah, on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89. His death was confirmed by the Sundance Institute, which he co-founded and for which he served as a guiding force.
Redford first rose to fame alongside Paul Newman as the affable outlaw in the Western "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in 1969. After 20 years as an actor, he moved behind the camera, becoming an Oscar-winning director. He won a directing Oscar for his 1980 film "Ordinary People." However, he earned a nomination for the best actor Oscar for his role in "The Sting" (1973), but did not win.
The Sundance Film Festival, which Redford launched in 1985, was created to discover new filmmakers and serve as an antidote to Hollywood's commercialism and lack of diversity. Over the years, the festival has fostered leading directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino, and Steven Soderbergh.
Redford's vision launched a movement that has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema in the US and around the world. The Sundance Institute expressed deep sadness over the loss of their founder and friend.
Robert Redford was not only a celebrated actor and director but also a committed environmental activist. He fought to preserve the natural landscape and resources of Utah, his home state. Fans paid tribute to his conservation work outside a conference building named after him. Monika Suter, a 59-year-old Swiss pastry chef, remembered Redford for his commitment to protect nature, Native Americans, and animals.
Barbra Streisand described Redford as an "intellectual, the artist, the cowboy." His work was often praised by his peers, and his legacy will live on in the countless lives he touched and the art he inspired.
Redford was married to Sibylle Szaggars, his German wife, whom he married in 2009. The specific cause of his death was not given, but he passed away in his sleep.
Redford's passing marks the end of an era in Hollywood, but his impact on film and environmental activism will be felt for generations to come.
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