Robert Redford — September 16, 2025

Robert Redford was American movie stardom at its most golden. With his easy smile and a screen presence that felt both glamorous and approachable, he became one of the defining faces of 1970s Hollywood through films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Way We Were, and All the President’s Men. He played the kind of American hero that audiences could root for without reservation.

What sets his legacy apart is everything he did after he stopped needing to act for a living. He won the Academy Award for Best Director with Ordinary People, founded the Sundance Institute and its now-iconic festival, and used his platform to champion environmental causes and independent filmmakers. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and an honorary Oscar for his lifetime of work. Robert Redford passed away at the age of 89, leaving Hollywood and the American cultural landscape forever changed.