Robert Redford, iconic actor and Oscar-winning director, has died at the age of 89.
Redford died peacefully in his sleep early Tuesday morning at his home in the Utah mountains near Provo, according New York Post and his publicist, Cindi Berger.
At the time of writing, no cause of death has been shared.
Born on August 18, 1936, Redford lived a life few could ever match. Yet behind his success as an actor and director, he endured heartbreak and unimaginable loss.
As a child, the future star battled polio, and in his teens, he admitted he was a “bad student.” He lost his scholarship to the University of Colorado in Boulder after turning to heavy drinking. While living in Boulder, he worked as a janitor at the city’s oldest restaurant, The Sink — a place he never forgot. In fact, at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, he wore a shirt with the restaurant’s logo as a quiet tribute to his past.
“The one person who stood behind me was my mother,” he said at the Sundance Film Festival Utah Women’s Leadership Celebration in 2018.
“She believed that all things considered, she just had faith that I had something in me that was going to turn out OK,” he said, as cited by Womans World.
Indeed, years prior to his death, Redford described his Texan-born mom Martha Hart as an adventurous person who always saw things in a positive light. He also credited her for his strong connection to women.
Sadly, his devoted mom passed away when she was just 40 years old.
“She had a hemorrhage tied to a blood disorder she got after losing twin girls at birth 10 years after I was born,” he said, adding that his mother had been warned that another pregnancy would be dangerous.
“She wanted a family so badly, she got pregnant again,” said Redford, adding that her death “seemed so unfair.”
Speaking on the impact her passing had, Redford would later claim that not telling his mother “thank you” was the biggest regret of his life.
“I took [her] for granted because that’s the way kids were at that age,” Redford admitted. “My regret is that she passed away before I could thank her.”
Robert was just 18 years old at the time and had just started his course at college. After he lost his college place he ended up traveling around Europe and later studied painting at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and took classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Despite experiencing a series of tragedies in his long life, including the loss of his infant son, Scott, who died at only 2½ months from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and the death of another son, James “Jamie” Redford, from bile-duct cancer in 2020, Redford never stopped creating.
He left his mark on Hollywood with unforgettable films, founded the Sundance Film Festival, and inspired countless independent filmmakers.
According to the New York Post, Redford is survived by his wife, his daughters Shauna Schlosser Redford and Amy Redford, as well as seven grandchildren.
Rest in peace, Robert Redford!
