Utah: American acting legend Redford, best known for roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, has died at the age of 89.
In a statement, his publicist Cindi Berger, said: “Robert Redford passed away on September 16 at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah – the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy.”
Tributes have been paid to the Oscar-winning star by actors including Meryl Streep and Jane Fonda, reports BBC.
Redford, also famous for founding Utah’s Sundance Film Festival, won a best director Oscar in 1980 for Ordinary People.
He announced his retirement from performing in 2018, having said in 2016 that he was “tired of acting”.
Hollywood actress Streep, who co-starred with him in Out of Africa, led the tributes, saying: “One of the lions has passed. Rest in peace my lovely friend.”
Fonda, a lifelong friend of Redford who starred alongside him in films such as 1967’s romcom Barefoot in the Park, said he “was a beautiful person in every way.”
Director Ron Howard, writing on X, described Redford as “a tremendously influential cultural figure” and an “artistic gamechanger”, while actor Colman Domingo posted: “With love and admiration. Thank you Mr Redford for your everlasting impact. Will be felt for generations. RIP.”
Speaking to the BBC, actor Leonardo DiCaprio described Redford as “an absolute legend” and said that his death is a “horrible loss”.
“Not only was he a great actor and did incredible political films, he was an incredible environmentalist too. He was a hero to a lot of us. It’s a great loss.”
Jamie Lee Curtis posted on Threads: “A life! Family. Art. Transformation. Advocacy. Creation. Legacy. Thank you Robert Redford.”
US President Donald Trump told journalists as he left the White House on Tuesday that “Robert Redford had a series of years where there was nobody better. There was a period of time when he was the hottest. I thought he was great.”
Former secretary of state and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton described Redford as a “true American icon”.
Posting on Instagram, she said: “I always admired Robert Redford, not only for his legendary career as an actor and director but for what came next.
“He championed progressive values like protecting the environment and access to the arts while creating opportunities for new generations of activists and filmmakers.”
