Robert Redford, who brought intensity, elegance, and quiet defiance to some of the most unforgettable roles in cinema history, died on September 16, 2025. He was 89. His passing marks the end of an era for both mainstream blockbusters and the fiercely creative world of independent film.
Robert Redford during Sundance Institute’s “An Artist at the Table Presented by IMDbPro” at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2020, in Park City, Utah | Source: Getty Images
The news came on Tuesday in a solemn statement from Cindi Berger, chief executive of Rogers & Cowen PMK. According to her, the actor died in his sleep, but the cause has yet to be revealed.
From Leading Man to Industry Powerhouse
Redford wasn’t just a beloved actor; he was a cultural force whose work redefined what American cinema could be. While he never shied from stardom, his real passion lay in creating films that would influence the cultural landscape and not just entertain.He was unforgettable as the charming outlaw in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), and hauntingly driven in the political thriller “All the President’s Men” (1976). But his catalogue of iconic roles didn’t stop there. His other celebrated films include “Three Days of the Condor,” “The Sting,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Way We Were,” and the sweeping romantic drama “Out of Africa” with Meryl Streep.
Sundance: A Legacy That Changed Cinema
But perhaps his most powerful legacy was behind the scenes, where he helped shape the future of film through mentorship, vision, and grit.In 1981, Redford founded the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to discovering and nurturing new ideas and people in cinema. Three years later, he took over a faltering Utah film festival, renamed it Sundance, and transformed it into one of the most important movie platforms in the world.
