Image Credentials: Image Title: Hollywood Legend Robert Redford, Icon of Cinema, Dies at 89 Source: (Sora.ChatGpt) Date: September 2025. Attribution: Created using AI-generated imagery (Sora.ChatGpt), this does not depict a real-world scene.
By Staff Writer | Open Chronicle with Agencies
SUNDANCE, UT – Robert Redford, the golden-haired actor who defined an era of Hollywood cool, an Oscar-winning director, and a champion of independent film, has died. He was 89.
His publicist, Cindi Berger, confirmed his passing in a statement. “Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, 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.”
Redford died at his beloved Sundance Mountain Resort, a property he developed and which gave its name to the Sundance Film Festival, an institution he founded that became the world’s most influential showcase for independent cinema.
Rising to fame in the 1960s, Redford became one of the defining movie stars of the 1970s. His combination of tousled blond hair, steely blue eyes, and understated intelligence made him an icon. He cemented his place in film history with a string of classics, including the Western buddy film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), the sophisticated con-man caper The Sting (1973), and the political thriller All the President’s Men (1976).
Robert Redford, Screen Idol Turned Director and Activist, Dies at 89
He made serious topics like grief and political corruption resonate with the masses, in no small part because of his own star power.#RIP pic.twitter.com/bh6lt69GFZ— Amber Smith (@28amberSmith) September 16, 2025
His on-screen partnership with Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and The Sting became the stuff of legend, creating one of cinema’s most beloved duos and a lifelong friendship.
Beyond his acting prowess, Redford proved to be a formidable director and storyteller behind the camera. His directorial debut, Ordinary People (1980), was a critical triumph, winning him the Academy Award for Best Director and the Oscar for Best Picture. He continued to direct acclaimed films throughout his career, including A River Runs Through It (1992) and The Horse Whisperer (1998).
His commitment to nurturing new voices in film led to the creation of the Sundance Institute in 1981 and the subsequent Sundance Film Festival. The festival became a launchpad for generations of filmmakers, including icons like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh, fundamentally changing the landscape of American cinema.
Redford’s career spanned over six decades, with notable roles in later years in films like Spy Game (2001) and his final appearance in the Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Endgame (2019). In 2023, he made a final, uncredited appearance as Bob Woodward in the HBO series White House Plumbers, reprising the role from All the President’s Men.
Born Charles Robert Redford Jr. in Santa Monica, California, his personal life included profound joy and tragedy. He was married to Lola Van Wagenen from 1958 to 1985, with whom he had four children. The couple’s first son, Scott, died of sudden infant death syndrome in 1959. His second son, James, died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 58.
He is survived by his second wife, artist Sibylle Szaggars, whom he married in 2009, and his two daughters, Shauna and Amy.
Robert Redford leaves behind an immeasurable legacy—not just as a movie star, but as a filmmaker, an environmentalist, and a singular force who forever championed the power of independent storytelling.