The golden-haired movie star breathed his last surrounded by family and friends.
And Hollywood legend Robert Redford died peacefully at his Utah home in the place he loved most.
Robert Redford passes away at 89 surrounded by loved ones
Robert Redford, one of Hollywood’s most beloved leading men and the visionary founder of the Sundance Film Festival, passed away Tuesday morning at his home in the mountains of Utah.
The 89-year-old actor died peacefully in his sleep at his Sundance property, the same land that became synonymous with independent filmmaking and environmental conservation.
"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," his representative Cindi Berger told Fox News Digital.¹
"He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy."
The announcement sent shockwaves through Hollywood and beyond as fans and fellow actors remembered a man who defined American cinema for generations.
Redford’s death marks the end of an era – he was truly the last of the golden age leading men who could carry a movie on charisma alone.
The Sundance Kid leaves behind an unmatched legacy
Look, there aren’t many actors who can claim they changed Hollywood forever, but Robert Redford actually did it.
While most movie stars just cash paychecks, Redford used his fame to create something that outlasted any single performance.
In 1981, he founded the Sundance Institute with a simple but revolutionary idea: give independent filmmakers a chance to tell their stories without Hollywood executives breathing down their necks.²
"For me, the word to be underscored is ‘independence,’" Redford said in 2018. "I’ve always believed in that word. That’s what led to me eventually wanting to create a category that supported independent artists who weren’t given a chance to be heard."³
What started as workshops for 10 emerging filmmakers in the Utah mountains grew into the most influential film festival in America.
The Sundance Film Festival became a launching pad for directors like Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, and the Coen Brothers – names that might never have been household words without Redford’s vision.
Films like "sex, lies, and videotape," "Reservoir Dogs," and "Little Miss Sunshine" found their audiences because Redford believed stories mattered more than box office projections.
From heartthrob to Hollywood heavyweight
Of course, before he was championing independent cinema, Redford was busy becoming one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.
His breakthrough came in 1969 with "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" alongside Paul Newman – a partnership that would define cool for an entire generation.
The movie became the highest-grossing film of 1969 and launched Redford into the stratosphere.
But he wasn’t content just being another pretty face.
Redford followed up with a string of classics that showcased both his star power and his commitment to meaningful storytelling: "The Sting," "The Way We Were," "All the President’s Men," and "The Natural."
Behind the camera, he proved just as talented, winning an Oscar for Best Director for "Ordinary People" in 1980.
That film also took home Best Picture, beating out Martin Scorsese’s "Raging Bull" – a decision that still sparks debate among film buffs.
More than just a movie star
Here’s what sets Redford apart from your typical Hollywood celebrity – the man actually stood for something.
Long before it was fashionable, Redford was fighting to protect America’s natural spaces and speaking out on environmental issues.
He discovered Utah in 1961 during a cross-country motorcycle trip and fell so in love with the landscape that he bought two acres of land for just $500 and built a cabin with his own hands.
"I discovered how important nature was in my life, and I wanted to be where nature was extreme and where I thought it could maybe be everlasting," he told CNN.⁴
Later, he would expand his holdings and designate most of his land as a wilderness preserve.
Even in his final years, he continued speaking out about climate change and the need to protect America’s public lands.
https://twitter.com/MonicaCrowley/status/1967935043147600135
The end of an era
Robert Redford’s death closes the book on Hollywood’s golden age in a way that feels final.
He represented something that seems increasingly rare – a movie star who used his fame responsibly and left the industry better than he found it.
Through Sundance, he gave voices to filmmakers who might never have been heard otherwise.
Through his activism, he helped preserve some of America’s most beautiful places for future generations.
And through his performances, he reminded us what it meant to be effortlessly cool without losing your humanity.
The man who once played the Sundance Kid has ridden off into his final sunset, but the impact he made will last for generations.
For folks who grew up watching Redford on the big screen, this feels like losing a piece of American culture itself.
But what a piece it was.
¹ Fox News Digital, "Hollywood legend Robert Redford dies at 89 at Utah home," Fox News, September 16, 2025.
² Sundance Institute, "About Sundance Institute," sundance.org, September 9, 2021.
³ Fox News Digital, "Hollywood legend Robert Redford dies at 89 at Utah home," Fox News, September 16, 2025.
⁴ CNN, "Robert Redford, actor, director, environmentalist, dead at 89," CNN, September 16, 2025.