Academy Award-winning director, actor and activist Robert Redford passed away in his Utah home this morning at age 89. He is survived by wife Sibylle Szaggars, children Shauna and Amy Redford, and 7 grandchildren. His undying encouragement of creatives and audiences alike to take initiative serves as the backbone of his legacy.
Although Redford began his career in stage and television, some know him best for his film portrayals of charismatic, nuanced characters and memorable chemistry with co-stars across the ’60s and ’70s: Jane Fonda’s husband in Barefoot in the Park, as well as stints alongside Paul Newman as sharpshooter in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and a sweet-talking grifter in The Sting.
But to commemorate Redford as a heartthrob would be giving him short shrift: he wielded the pressing attention of movie stardom as a means to publicize the issues he cared about, both in front of and behind the camera.
Before starring in the Watergate drama All the President’s Men in 1976, Redford bought the rights to journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s book surrounding the scandal, and the film was produced under his own production company. His investment in politics consistently bled into his work outside of cinema; Redford would later publish two op-eds with NBC News and CNN in 2019 and 2020 criticizing the Trump administration and its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively.
In 1981, Redford founded the nonprofit Sundance Film Institute. It was a critical step in the film industry’s cultivation of independent artistry; the institute is best known for taking leadership over the Utah/US Film Festival and transforming it into the Sundance Film Festival in 1984. From there, it would provide a stage for non-studio affiliated projects, widening their reach. Some of your favorite indie darlings — Whiplash, The Blair Witch Project, CODA and Get Out, for instance — have emerged from Sundance showcases.
His 1980 directorial debut, Ordinary People, evoked melancholy through its poignant depiction of a family reeling in the wake of a loss. The film earned him a win in the Best Director category of the 1981 Oscars, as well as Best Picture. His subsequent directorial credits were unconfined by genre, from lawyer drama Quiz Show to the neo-Western The Horse Whisperer, which he also starred in.
His subsequent accomplishments include a BAFTA, five golden globes and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. Beyond his cinematic credits, Redford was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016 for his advocacy against climate denial. His love of the outdoors set the precedent for his move to Utah from Hollywood in the ’60s, driving his public defense of the natural spaces within the state and beyond. He served as a trustee on the Natural Resources Defense Council, with his public service extending from the environment to native populations and the LGBTQ+ community.
The themes Redford explored within his projects were reflected in his advocacy — he made the little things matter.
Eleanor Jacobs is PAPER's 2025 Fall Intern
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