This day in history: Happy heavenly birthday, Robert Redford!

Nourhan SandoukTue, August 18, 2026 at 9:56 AM UTC

0

Charles Robert Redford Jr., or Robert Redford, the face we all know from many classic movies, an actor, director, producer, and activist.

Born in 1936 in Santa Monica, California.  Redford was a talented athlete in high school, especially in baseball and tennis; he earned a baseball scholarship that allowed him to enroll at the University of Colorado, but he had different plans. Redford dropped out and studied art instead; soon after, he made his Broadway debut in the play Tall Story in 1959.

“Actually, I was a failure at everything I tried. I worked as a box boy at a supermarket and got fired. Then my dad got me a job at Standard Oil—fired again,” Redford said to Success magazine in 1980.

In the ‘60s, Redford got many roles in several television dramas such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, and Route 66.

Till the mid-’60s, Redford appeared in several movies, but the one that made him one of Hollywood’s most popular stars was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

During the ‘70s and ‘80s, Redford acted in many successful movies like The Way We Were and The Sting.

Ordinary People in 1980 was Redford’s first as a director. It won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and Redford won an Oscar for Best Director.

The actor was also a clever businessman. In the ‘60s, Redford purchased several thousand acres of mountain wilderness in Provo Canyon, near Utah. He named it Sundance, after his role, and opened a ski resort.

Advertisement

Then in 1980, Redford opened the Sundance Institute to support independent filmmakers.

Redford was also known for his commitment to environmental and liberal political causes, as well as Indigenous and LGBTQ rights.

“Now climate change is in everybody’s backyard. The question is to make people aware of it, to make people aware not only of the dangers but what the positive move would be, and bring it to their attention that it’s already in their own backyard.” Redford said

Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89, at his home in Utah.

Ask us! What questions do you have about content, strategy, pop culture, lifestyle, wellness, history or more? We may use your question in an upcoming article!

Ask us a question

Like MediaFeed’s content? Be sure to follow us.

This article was syndicated byMediaFeed.co

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”