He wasn’t just a Hollywood heart-throb. Robert Redford may have first found fame as a charismatic leading man, but he went on to become an Oscar-winning director, the founder of a festival that changed the film industry and a passionate environmental campaigner.
Yet when asked recently what he hoped his legacy would be, the movie legend, who died last week aged 89, said, “I have no idea. I just am who I am.”
A visionary on and off the screen
Who he was, according to those who knew him, was a man who was not only talented both in front of and behind the camera, but a force for good who put his weight behind the indie film industry by starting the Sundance Film Festival and spoke out about environmental issues.
The Way We Were co-star Barbra Streisand, 83, described him as “one of the finest actors ever”, while Leonardo DiCaprio, 50, praised his environmental work, saying, “His unwavering commitment to protecting our planet and inspiring change matched his immense talent. His impact will endure for generations to come.”
Scandal star Kerry Washington, 48, said, “He was not just a visionary who transformed American cinema, he was a generous and kind soul who taught those of us in his orbit endless lessons about art, culture, nature, storytelling, fame and family.”
A career defined by courage and creativity
Robert started his acting career aged 23 in 1959 after flunking out of university. After years of small TV and film roles, he became a massive star thanks to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969. He later moved to directing, winning his only Oscar for Ordinary People in 1980, before going on to champion independent films and supporting conservation causes.
In 2014, Time magazine named him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Robert, who was married to German artist Sibylle Szaggars, 68, died in his sleep at his Utah home. In an interview last year, he put his achievements down to just making the effort to try something.
“There’s a great line by T.S. Eliot: ‘There’s only the trying, the rest is not our business’… You can always keep trying and that’s what I always tried to do.”
