Encyclopedia
Robert Redford is an award-winning
American motion picture actor,
director, producer,
businessman, model, environmentalist, and philanthropist.
Biography
Early life
Redford was born in
Santa Monica, California to Charles Robert Redford, Sr., an accountant, and
Texas-born Martha W. Hart. He has a half-brother, William, from his father's re-marriage.
Redford graduated from Van Nuys High School in Los Angeles,
California in 1954 and received a
baseball scholarship to the University of Colorado, where he was a
pitcher on the baseball team, and a member of the
Kappa Sigma fraternity. He lost the scholarship due to adolescent drinking, fueled in part by the death of his mother, when Redford was eighteen. Redford was later a painting student at the
Pratt Institute in
Brooklyn, and took classes in theatrical set design at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in
New York City.
Career
Redford is known for his roles in
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,
All the President's Men is a 1974 [i] non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein [i] and Bob Woodward [i], t ...
,
The Sting is an Oscar [i] winning caper film [i] from 1973 [i] set in September of 1936 [i] ...
,
The Natural is a 1952 novel about baseball [i] written by Bernard Malamud [i]....
,
The Way We Were,
Out of Africa is an autobiographical book by Isak Dinesen, first published in 1937....
,
The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American [i] novelist [i] F. Scott Fitzgerald [i]. ...
, and many others. Redford directed the films
Ordinary People is a 1980 [i] American [i] motion picture [i] drama whic ...
,
Quiz Show is a 1994 [i] film which tells the true story of the
Twenty One [i] quiz show scandal [i]...
,
The Legend of Bagger Vance is a 1995 book [i] by Steven Pressfield [i], transporting the story ...
,
The Horse Whisperer is a Robert Redford [i] movie based on the 1995 novel [i] by ...
,
The Milagro Beanfield War is a 1988 [i] American [i] film [i] ...
, and
A River Runs Through It is a semi-autobiographical novella by Norman Maclean [i]. ...
. He was also a producer on all except
Ordinary People.
In 1980, Redford's directorial debut,
Ordinary People, won him the Academy Award for Directing; his 1994 film,
Quiz Show, was nominated for best director, but lost to
Forrest Gump. Along with
Warren Beatty,
Clint Eastwood,
Mel Gibson,
Richard Attenborough, and
Kevin Costner, Redford is one of the few major actors to win an Academy Award for
Best Director.
Once, according to screenwriter William Goldman, Robert Redford was described as "just another California blond—throw a stick at Malibu, you'll hit six of him." It is unlikely, however, that any of the six would combine Redford's charm, intelligence, talent and looks. He attended the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship but dropped out in 1957 to spend a year traveling and painting in Europe. Back in the States, he studied theatrical design and acting in New York.
In the late 1950s and early 60s, Redford appeared in numerous television shows, including as a "stooge" on the quiz show
Play Your Hunch. Among his early appearances were
The Twilight Zone was a television [i] anthology series [i] created by its narrator and host Rod Serling [i] ...
,
Alfred Hitchcock Presents was a half-hour anthology [i] television [i] series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock [i] ...
,
Maverick,
Naked City,
Route 66 and
Dr. Kildare. He won critical praise for
In the Presence of Mine Enemies is a 2003 alternate history [i] novel by Harry Turtledove [i] ...
, an episode of
Playhouse 90 and earned an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in
The Voice of Charlie Pont . Redford had made his Broadway debut in a small role in
Tall Story , following up with the shows
The Highest Tree and
Sunday in New York . He enjoyed his biggest Broadway success as the stuffy newlywed husband of Elizabeth Ashley in Neil Simon's
Barefoot in the Park .
Redford made his screen debut in
War Hunt , co-starring with Tom Skerritt and Sydney Pollack in an anti-war film set during the Korean conflict. After his Broadway success, he was cast in larger feature roles. He was a bisexual movie star who marries starlet Natalie Wood in
Inside Daisy Clover and rejoined her for Pollack's
This Property Is Condemned —again as her lover. The same year saw his first teaming with Jane Fonda . Fonda and Redford were paired to better effect in the big screen version of
Barefoot in the Park , and were again co-stars in Pollack's
The Electric Horseman is a romance film starring Robert Redford [i] and Jane Fonda [i]. ...
.
Redford—already concerned about his blond male starlet image—turned down roles in
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play by Edward Albee [i] that opened on Broadway [i] ...
and
The Graduate is a 1967 [i] film directed by Mike Nichols [i] from a screenplay by Calder Willingham [i] ...
, holding out for George Roy Hill's
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with Paul Newman. The film made him a bankable star and cemented his screen image as an intelligent, reliable, sometimes sardonic good guy. He became a huge matinee idol in the 1970's because of his blond pretty boy good looks whether he liked it or not.
As so often happens, his next few films—while not artistic losses—were hardly hits at the box office.
Downhill Racer , on which he served as executive producer, was an interesting look at the world of competitive skiing, but
Tell Them Willie Boy is Here ,
Little Fauss and Big Halsey ,
The Hot Rock and the underrated outdoors drama
Jeremiah Johnson did little to augment Redford's stardom. His next real success came with the incisive political satire
The Candidate , which traded on his Golden Boy image to skewer Watergate-era Washington.
With the financial proceeds of his acting success, starting with his salary from
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and
Downhill Racer, Redford purchased the ski resort just outside of
Provo,
Utah called Timphaven . He renamed it the Sundance Resort, and not long after, portions of the movie
Jeremiah Johnson , a film which is both one of Redford's favorites and one that has heavily influenced him, were shot in the area. He founded the
Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute, Sundance Catalog, and the
Sundance Channel, all in and around Park City. The Sundance Film Festival caters to independent filmmakers in the United States and has received some recognition from the industry as a place to option films. The name Sundance comes from his character, the
Sundance Kid. In addition, Redford owns a celebrated
restaurant called Zoom, located on Main Street in the former mining town of Park City.
The year 1973 was a huge one for Redford, who starred in the high-profile
The Way We Were and
The Sting. The former teamed him with a glowing
Barbra Streisand in a romance that spanned the years; the latter rejoined him with Newman in a crime comedy. About the first film, Redford joked, "nice Jewish girl gets nice blond WASP", and about the second, "nice Jewish BOY gets nice blond WASP." Already, Redford was known for bringing out the best in his co-stars—his frequent pairings with Newman, Wood and Fonda worked superbly, and actresses such as Streisand,
Faye Dunaway,
Meryl Streep and
Michelle Pfeiffer were rarely so relaxed or sensual as when playing opposite him.
During the years 1974-76, exhibitors voted Redford Hollywood's top box office name—his hits included the glossy but impressive-looking
The Great Gatsby ,
The Great Waldo Pepper and
Three Days of the Condor is a United States [i] motion picture [i] made in 1975 [i]. ...
. The popular and acclaimed "All the President's Men" , directed by Alan J. Pakula and scripted once again by Goldman, was a landmark film for Redford. Not only was he the executive producer and co-star, but the film's serious subject matter, the Watergate scandal, also reflected the actor's off screen concerns for political causes.
In 1980, Redford's first outing as a director,
Ordinary People, a drama about the slow disintegration of a middle-class family, won him an Oscar. Redford managed to get a powerful dramatic performance out of America's Sweetheart,
Mary Tyler Moore, as well as superb work from
Donald Sutherland and
Timothy Hutton. His second stint behind the camera would not be for another eight years with
The Milagro Beanfield War , a well-crafted—though not popular—screen version of John Nichols' acclaimed novel of the Southwest. Other directorial projects have included the successful period family drama
A River Runs Through It , based on Norman Maclean's novella, and the intelligent expose
Quiz Show , about the quiz show scandal of the late 1950’s. Working with noted cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and a strong cast that featured
John Turturro and
Ralph Fiennes, Redford's skill behind the camera earned him well-deserved praise.
Besides his directing and producing duties, Redford continued acting as he entered middle age. He made a fine romantic lead opposite Meryl Streep in Sydney Pollack's Oscar-winning
Out of Africa . Although many critics complained that his portrayal of Isak Dinesen's lover was unrealistic, Redford's characterization was more substantial than the ghostly figure of Dinesen's book. After the box-office disaster of
Havana , he turned in amiable performances in the computer caper
Sneakers , the sex drama
Indecent Proposal , with Demi Moore, and opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in the newsroom romance
Up Close and Personal . His good looks had weathered after years in the Utah sun and wind, but with kind lenses he could still romance younger actresses. Continuing in the romantic vein, Redford directed and starred opposite Kristin Scott Thomas in a strong adaptation of Nicholas Evans' novel
The Horse Whisperer . Like other of his directorial efforts, the film featured a strong cast in a drama that centered around a troubled family. His follow-up behind the camera,
The Legend of Bagger Vance , suffered from a saccharine approach and a miscalculated performance from star Will Smith as a black caddy with mystical powers. Redford next returned to acting playing an aging CIA agent whose protégé becomes a hostage in
Spy Game .
Since founding the nonprofit Sundance Institute in Park City, Utah, in 1981, Redford has been deeply involved with independent film. Through its various workshop programs and popular film festival, Sundance has provided much-needed support for independent filmmakers. In 1995, Redford signed a deal with Showtime to start a 24-hour cable TV channel devoted to airing independent films—the Sundance Channel premiered on February 29, 1996. Meanwhile, Redford continued his involvement in mainstream Hollywood movies, though projects became fewer and farther between. He appeared as a disgraced Army general sent to prison in the political thriller,
The Last Castle is a 2001 movie [i] starring Robert Redford [i] and James Gandolfini [i]....
, directed by fellow political junkie Rod Lurie. Redford, a leading environmental activist, narrated the IMAX documentary Sacred Planet , a sweeping journey across the globe to some of its most exotic and endangered places. In " The Clearing " , an under-appreciated thriller co-starring Helen Mirren, Redford was a successful business man whose kidnapping unearths the secrets and inadequacies that led to his achieving the American Dream. Redford stepped back into producing with
The Motorcycle Diaries , a coming-of-age road film about a young medical student, Ernesto Guevera—who later became celebrated Cuban revolutionary Che Guevera—and his friend Alberto Granado. Five years in the making, Redford was credited by director Walter Salles for being instrumental in getting the film made and released. Back in front of the camera, Redford received good notices for his turn in director Lasse Hallstrom's
An Unfinished Life as a cantankerous rancher who is forced to take in the estranged daughter-in-law --whom he blames for his son's death--and the grandaughter he never knew he had when they flee an abusive relationship. Despite solid acting the film, which sat on the shelf for many months while its distributor Miramax was restructured, it was generally dismissed as cliched and overly sentimental. Meanwhile, Redford returned to familiar territory when he signed on to direct and star in an update of
The Candidate.
In 1995, Redford received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from
Bard College. In December of 2005, he received honors at the Kennedy Center for his contributions to American culture. The Honors recipients are recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts: whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures or television.
Personal life
Robert Redford is politically liberal, and has supported environmentalism and
Native American rights.
Redford married Lola Van Wagenen on September 12, 1958; the couple, who had four children - Scott , Shauna , David James , and Amy - divorced in 1985. His companions since have included actress
Sonia Braga , Kathy O'Rear and German painter Sibylle Szaggars . Redford has four grandchildren.
Trivia:
Robert Redford's offical height is 5 foot 10 inches.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|
| 2006 | Charlotte's Web is a children's book [i] by acclaimed American author E. B. White [i] ...
| Ike |
| 2005 | An Unfinished Life | Einar Gilkyson |
| 2004 | The Clearing is a 2004 drama [i] / thriller film [i], and is a directorial [i]...
| Wayne Hayes |
| 2001 | Spy Game | Nathan D. Muir |
The Last Castle is a 2001 movie [i] starring Robert Redford [i] and James Gandolfini [i]....
| Lt. Gen. Eugene Irwin |
| 1998 | The Horse Whisperer is a Robert Redford [i] movie based on the 1995 novel [i] by ...
| Tom Booker |
| 1996 | Up Close & Personal | Warren Justice |
| 1993 | Indecent Proposal | John Gage |
| 1992 | A River Runs Through It is a semi-autobiographical novella by Norman Maclean [i]. ...
| Narrator |
| Sneakers | Martin "Marty" Bishop |
| 1990 | Havana | Jack Weil |
| 1986 | Legal Eagles | Tom Logan |
| 1985 | Out of Africa is an autobiographical book by Isak Dinesen, first published in 1937....
| Denys Finch Hatton |
| 1984 | The Natural is a 1952 novel about baseball [i] written by Bernard Malamud [i]....
| Roy Hobbs |
| 1980 | Brubaker is a 1980 [i] film [i] about a prison [i]. ...
| Henry Brubaker |
| 1979 | The Electric Horseman is a romance film starring Robert Redford [i] and Jane Fonda [i]. ...
| Norman 'Sonny' Steele |
| 1977 | A Bridge Too Far | Major Julian Cook |
| 1976 | All the President's Men is a 1974 [i] non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein [i] and Bob Woodward [i], t ...
| Bob Woodward |
| 1975 | Three Days of the Condor is a United States [i] motion picture [i] made in 1975 [i]. ...
| Joseph Turner/The Condor |
| The Great Waldo Pepper | Waldo Pepper |
| 1974 | The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American [i] novelist [i] F. Scott Fitzgerald [i]. ...
| Jay Gatsby |
| 1973 | The Sting is an Oscar [i] winning caper film [i] from 1973 [i] set in September of 1936 [i] ...
| Johnny Hooker aka Kelly |
| The Way We Were | Hubbell |
| 1972 | Jeremiah Johnson | Jeremiah Johnson |
| The Candidate | Bill McKay |
| The Hot Rock | John Archibald Dortmunder |
| 1970 | Little Fauss and Big Halsy | Halsy Knox |
| 1969 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | The Sundance Kid |
| Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here | Deputy Sheriff Christopher 'Coop' Cooper |
| Downhill Racer | David Chappellet |
| 1967 | Barefoot in the Park | Paul Bratter |
| 1966 | This Property is Condemned | Owen Legate |
| The Chase >The Chase | Charlie 'Bubber' Reeves |
| 1965 | Inside Daisy Clover | Wade Lewis |
Directing
References
Footnotes
Web sites
