Robert Redford, Hollywood Legend and Environmental Activist, Passes Away at 89
Renowned actor Robert Redford, devoid of charm, has passed away.
Robert Redford, the iconic actor known for his roles in films like "All the President's Men" and "The Horse Whisperer," has passed away at the age of 89 in his home in Utah.
Redford's career spanned over five decades, and he became a Hollywood star more than 50 years ago, initially as a charming criminal in the Western comedy "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969). His breakout role was in the political satire "The Candidate" in 1972, which marked his entry into the world of political activism.
One of Redford's most memorable performances was in the survival drama "All Is Lost" at the age of 77, but he never received an Oscar nomination for the role. He also played the role of the "Washington Post" journalists who brought down Richard Nixon in "All the President's Men" (1976). Redford could play lover roles well, such as with Mia Farrow in "The Great Gatsby" (1974) and Barbra Streisand in "The Way We Were" (1973).
Robert Redford's only chance to win an Oscar as an actor was alongside Paul Newman in the heist comedy "The Sting" (1973), but the trophy went to Jack Lemmon for the satire "Save the Tiger."
Hollywood was not Redford's dream goal; he grew up in modest circumstances in Santa Monica, California, as the son of a bookkeeper. Despite his humble beginnings, Redford became a dedicated environmental activist and nature conservationist, and his "wake-up call" on global warming came in 1989 at a conference in Denver.
Redford founded the Sundance Institute in 1980 and the Sundance Film Festival, the largest US film festival for independent productions. He saw it as his mission to support young, critical voices in the independent film scene.
Redford's personal life was marked by two marriages. His first marriage was to the historian Lola Van Wagenen and ended in 1985. Their eldest son died at a few months old. Redford's second marriage was to his long-time German girlfriend, the painter Sibylle Szaggars, in Hamburg in 2009.
Meryl Streep, Redford's film partner, expressed her grief, calling him "one of the lions" who has left us. Redford himself stated that he had a rebellious side from childhood and always felt like an outsider.
In his later years, Redford played the role of an old bank robber in "The Old Man & the Gun" (2018). He explored war lust and incompetence in Washington, uncritical journalism, and television dumbing down in his wordy drama "The Horse Whisperer" (2007).
At the age of 81, Redford won a lifetime achievement award from the Film Academy and presented the romantic drama "Our Souls at Night" with Jane Fonda at the Venice Film Festival in 2017. Redford lived far from the hustle and bustle in Utah and Northern California, maintaining a private relationship with his long-time German partner, Sibylle Szaggars.
Redford will be remembered as a Hollywood legend and a champion of independent film and environmental conservation.
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