{"id":2026319,"date":"2025-09-16T14:08:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T14:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2026319"},"modified":"2025-09-16T14:08:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T14:08:01","slug":"robert-redfords-life-after-hollywood-where-was-he-before-his-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/robert-redfords-life-after-hollywood-where-was-he-before-his-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Redford\u2019s Life After Hollywood: Where Was He Before His Death?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Robert Redford<\/strong><\/a> had a career that spanned six decades before his death \u2014 but what was his life like out of the spotlight after he left Hollywood?<\/p>\n

The actor achieved tons of success in the career<\/a> for projects such as The Sting<\/em>, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for best actor. After he moved behind the camera, he won an Oscar for directing 1980\u2019s Ordinary People<\/em> and scored Best Picture and Best Director nods for 1994\u2019s Quiz Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent most of my life just focused on the road ahead, not looking back,\u201d Redford said in his 2002 honorary Oscar acceptance speech. \u201cBut now tonight, I\u2019m seeing in the rearview mirror that there is something I\u2019ve not thought about much, called history.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his speech, Redford noted it was \u201cimportant\u201d to \u201cmake sure the freedom of artistic expression is nurtured and kept alive, because I believe that in keeping diversity alive it will help keep our industry alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be able to be part of a freedom of expression that allows us as artists to tell our stories in our own way about the human condition, the complexities of life, the world around us, is a gift and not one to be taken lightly,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd I think the glory of art is that it can not only survive change, it can lead it. As an artist, I just can\u2019t think of a better life than the one that I\u2019ve been blessed with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Redford died on Tuesday, September 16,<\/a> at age 89.<\/p>\n

\u201cRobert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah \u2014 the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved,\u201d his publicist, Cindi Berger, said in a statement. \u201cHe will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling for a glimpse of Redford\u2019s life ahead of his death:<\/p>\n

How Did Robert Redford Get His Start?<\/h3>\n

Redford stepped in front of the camera in the \u201960s with small TV roles before pivoting to the big screen for films like Barefoot in the Park with Jane Fonda. He went on to appear in classic movies including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Way We Were, Out of Africa, All the President\u2019s Men<\/em> and Three Days of the Condor<\/em>. The Sting<\/em>, which was released in 1973, earned Redford his first and only acting Oscar nomination.<\/p>\n

What Were Robert Redford\u2019s Other Accomplishments?<\/h3>\n

Redford transitioned into directing in the \u201980s, winning an Academy Award for his directorial debut, Ordinary People<\/em>. He was also an activist and was known for founding the nonprofit Sundance Institute, which went on to become the Sundance Film Festival. Redford also cofounded The Redford Center in 2005, a nonprofit focusing on producing films and providing grants to filmmakers whose projects center around climate change and the environment.<\/p>\n

Off screen, Redford married Lola Van Wagenen<\/strong> in 1958, and they expanded their family four times with son Scott in 1959, daughter Shauna in 1960, son David in 1962 and daughter Amy in 1970. (Their son James died of cancer<\/a> in October 2020 at age 58, while son Scott died of SIDS in 1959 when he was 2 months old.)<\/p>\n

After Redford and Van Wagenen called it quits, the Natural<\/em> actor found love with Sibylle Szaggars<\/strong>, whom he married in 2009. Redford, who had seven grandchildren, resided in Sundance, Utah, with his family ahead of his death.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Celebrity Deaths of 2025: Stars We\u2019ve Lost This Year<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tFrom filmmakers to artists, Hollywood lost many stars in 2025. News broke on January 4 that Aubrey Plaza\u2019s estranged husband, Jeff Baena, died one day earlier at the age of 47. Per medical examiner records viewed by Us Weekly, Baena died by suicide. \u201cThis is an unimaginable tragedy,\u201d Plaza\u2019s rep said in a statement to [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What Led to Robert Redford\u2019s Departure From Hollywood?<\/h3>\n

After starring in 2018\u2019s The Old Man & the Gun<\/em>, Redford hinted that the film would likely be his final onscreen appearance.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever say never, but I pretty well concluded that this would be it for me in terms of acting, and [I\u2019ll] move towards retirement after this \u2019cause I\u2019ve been doing it since I was 21,\u201d Redford told Entertainment Weekly at the time. \u201cI thought, \u2018Well, that\u2019s enough.\u2019 And why not go out with something that\u2019s very upbeat and positive?\u201d<\/p>\n

Redford changed his mind later that year, telling Variety<\/em> it \u201cwas a mistake\u201d to announce<\/a> a possible retirement.<\/p>\n

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