Robert Redford: Oscar-Winning Actor, Director and Sundance Founder Dies

Robert Redford was an American actor, director and producer who became one of Hollywood's biggest stars and the founder of the Sundance Institute. Born Charles Robert Redford Jr. on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, he began on stage and television.

Redford became a star in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and was nominated for an Oscar for The Sting (1973). He starred in All the President's Men (1976), The Natural, Out of Africa (1985) and All Is Lost (2013). His directing debut, Ordinary People (1980), won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, and he also directed Quiz Show (1994).

Redford bought a ski area in Utah and renamed it Sundance, then founded the Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival, which became the leading showcase for independent film. He received an Honorary Oscar in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2005 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. He was a lifelong environmental activist. He died in his sleep at his home in Sundance, Utah, on September 16, 2025, at age 89.

Achievements: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Oscar for directing Ordinary People (1980), founded the Sundance Institute, Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016).

Birth: August 18, 1936 - Santa Monica, California.

Profession: Actor, director and producer.

Interesting Facts: He played Alexander Pierce in Marvel films. He turned down roles in The Graduate and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.