Robert Redford Biography
Robert Redford (b. August 18, 1937) is a famous Americann actor. Known for his roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Sting, and The Great Gatsby, Redford has also directed the films Quiz Show, The Milagro Beanfield War, The Natural, and others. Redford also is responsible for starting the Sundance Film Festival, named after
 |
his character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The festival caters to independent filmmakers in the United States and has received some recognition from the industry as a place to option films.
In 1981, the first film Redford directed, Ordinary People, won the Academy Award for Directing; his 1994 film Quiz Show was nominated for the award but lost to Forrest Gump.
Redford owns a celebrated restaurant in Park City, Utah called Zoom. Zoom is located on Main Street in the former mining town of Park City, Utah. It has both indoor and outdoor seating. Redford also owns a ski resort called Sundance Resort.
More:
Born in Santa Monica, California to Charles Robert Redford, Sr. (an Irish
Protestant immigrant from the British Isles) and Martha W. Hart (from
Texas), Redford graduated from Van Nuys High School in Los Angeles,
California in 1955 and received a baseball scholarship to the University of
Colorado where he was a pitcher on the baseball team before losing his
scholarship due to adolescent drinking fueled in part by the death of his
mother when Redford was 18. He later was 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. Lola Van Wagenen (a
consumer activist) dropped out of college to marry Redford on September 12,
1958. They divorced in 1985 after having four children, one of whom died of
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Their surviving children are Shauna
Redford, Amy Redford, an actress, and James Redford, a screen writer.
Redford is known for his roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All
the President's Men, The Sting, The Natural, The Way We Were, Out of Africa,
The Great Gatsby, and many others. Redford directed the films Ordinary
People, Quiz Show, The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Horse Whisperer, The
Milagro Beanfield War, and A River Runs Through It. He was also a producer
on all except Ordinary People.
In 1980, the first film Redford directed, Ordinary People, won him the
Academy Award for Directing; his 1994 film Quiz Show was nominated for the
award but lost to Forrest Gump. Along with Warren Beatty,
Clint Eastwood,
Mel Gibson, Richard Attenborough, and Kevin Costner, Redford is one of 6
people to win and Academy Award for "Best Director" though they are
primarily known as actors.
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 Park City, Utah called Timphaven. He
renamed it the Sundance Resort, and not long after, portions of the movie
Jeremiah Johnson (1972), a film which is both one of Redford's favorites and
one that has heavily influenced him, was shot in the area. He then 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 he owns a
celebrated restaurant called Zoom, located on Main Street in the former
mining town of Park City.
In 1995, Redford received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from
Bard College.
In December of 2005, Robert Redford 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. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence.
With his wife, Lola, Redford raised three children, Shauna, Jamie, and Amy,
in the family’s homes in New York City and Utah. Redford and Lola, who have
four grandchildren, divorced in 1985. A long-term relationship with Kathy
O’Rear, a costume designer, ended in 1995. Redford has since been
romantically linked to Sibylle Szaggars, a painter.
Filmography as actor includes
- The Clearing (2003)
This Robert Redford Biography Page is Copyright © 2004 - 2006 Chuck Ayoub