The world of film has fallen silent with grief, as we say goodbye to Robert Redford — a true titan of Hollywood whose artistry shaped not only the silver screen but the very soul of independent cinema. Redford, the Academy Award-winning actor, visionary director, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, passed away peacefully at his home in Utah on Tuesday, September 16, at the age of 89.
A Star of the Golden Era
“Robert Redford wasn’t just an actor,” Stephen Colbert said. “He was a symbol of that golden age of Hollywood, a time when stars seemed larger than life, yet somehow more human than ever.”
Rising to fame in the 1960s and 1970s, Redford first made waves with his 1962 debut in War Hunt. But it was his unforgettable chemistry with Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) that turned him into a legend. Colbert reflected: “That film made you laugh, it made you cry, and it made you believe in the magic of storytelling. Redford was that rare kind of leading man — charming, magnetic, but grounded in humanity.”
His later performances in The Great Gatsby (1974) and All the President’s Men (1976) only deepened his place in American culture. “He had the kind of face that looked like it belonged on a poster,” Colbert said, “but behind it was an artist wrestling with the complexities of a changing America.”
From Actor to Auteur
Unlike many stars content with fame, Redford had bigger ambitions. In 1980, he stunned Hollywood by stepping behind the camera. His debut as a director, Ordinary People, was a revelation — winning four Academy Awards, including Best Director.
“Redford proved he wasn’t just a face on the screen. He was a mind, a storyteller who wanted us to feel something real,” Colbert noted. “His films weren’t loud, they weren’t flashy — they were honest.”
The Birth of Sundance
Perhaps Redford’s most lasting gift to cinema was the founding of the Sundance Institute in 1981, which blossomed into the Sundance Film Festival.
“Independent filmmakers everywhere owe him a debt,” Colbert said. “Sundance gave us Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, Darren Aronofsky — and countless others who might never have found their voice without it. Redford built a home for the dreamers, the risk-takers, the misfits. And that home is still alive today.”
A Career That Never Truly Ended
Even after announcing his retirement in 2018, Redford couldn’t resist the pull of storytelling, returning for a final appearance in Avengers: Endgame (2019).
“Generations knew him differently,” Colbert mused. “To some, he was Sundance. To others, he was Gatsby. And to kids watching Marvel movies, he was the mysterious man in the shadows. But to all of us, he was unforgettable.”
A Legacy Beyond the Screen
To Stephen Colbert, Redford’s greatest achievement wasn’t just the roles he played or the festival he built, but the way he elevated cinema itself.
“He showed us that movies can be more than entertainment. They can be conscience, they can be courage, they can be change. Hollywood lost a star, but independent cinema gained a heartbeat — one that still beats today because of Robert Redford.”
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