Hollywood is collectively heartbroken by Tuesday’s death of Robert Redford, the leading man-turned-stalwart of independent film.
The 89-year-old actor, director and activist died “at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah — the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved,” his publicist, Cindi Berger, said in a statement to the Daily News.
“One of the lions has passed. Rest in peace my lovely friend,” said Meryl Streep, Redford’s co-star in the epic romance “Out of Africa,” which won best picture at the 1986 Academy Awards.
The film icons reunited on-screen for the 2007 political thriller “Lions for Lambs,” which Redford also directed.
Morgan Freeman, in a message on Instagram, said he and Redford “instantly became friends” when co-starring in the 1980 prison drama “Brubaker.”
“There are certain people you know that you’re going to click with,” Freeman wrote. “Working with him again in ‘An Unfinished Life’ was a dream come true. Rest peacefully, my friend.”
Redford’s “Barefoot in the Park” co-star Jane Fonda said in a statement that news of his death hit her “hard” and she “can’t stop crying.”
“He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way,” said Fonda, who also co-starred with Redford in the Netflix romance “Our Souls at Night” in 2017. “He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.”
Ethan Hawke hailed Redford as an “ultimate champion of independent film, relentless advocate for authentic storytelling and fiercely passionate environmentalist.”
“Robert’s legacy remains ingrained in our culture, transformed by his artistry, activism and the founding of Sundance Institute and Film Festival,” Hawke wrote on Instagram.
Redford was featured in Hawke’s 2022 docuseries “The Last Movie Stars,” an intimate exploration of the love story and legacy of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Redford, who maintained a decades-long friendship with Newman, starred alongside him in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and later in “The Sting.”
Ralph Fiennes and Rob Morrow — who starred in “Quiz Show,” for which Redford earned Oscar nominations for best picture and best director — also paid tribute to the late multihyphenate.
“I remember his patience and kindness. … I loved his droll sense of humour. … His maverick spirit was readily apparent and he made clear his wariness regarding Hollywood clichés and practice,” Fiennes said in a statement shared with The News.
“I treasure my experience of working with him, which was also an introduction to a great filmmaker with a true artistic vision of an American cinema that could be intelligent, original and politically provocative,” Fiennes continued. “The filmmaking world is smaller without him.”
Morrow, meanwhile, thanked Redford for the “lessons and inspiration” he bestowed throughout the years.
“What a life. What a man. What a career!” Morrow wrote on social media. “You will live on.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source ca.news.yahoo.com ’
