Veteran Hollywood actor Robert Redford died in his sleep at the age of 89, his spokeswoman announced. Redford was best known as a leading man of the 1960s and 1970s, but he was also a director, political activist and cultural entrepreneur.
Redford, who starred in classics such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men and helped revive American independent cinema as a founder of the Sundance Film Festival, passed away Tuesday morning at his home in Utah, according to the statement.
His spokeswoman added that he died "in the mountains of Utah, the place he loved, surrounded by the people he loved. He will be deeply missed. The family requests privacy."
Charles Robert Redford Jr. was born on August 18, 1936, in the coastal town of Santa Monica, California. In interviews, he described himself as a poor student who was more interested in art and sports. He graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1954 and briefly attended the University of Colorado at Boulder before traveling through Europe, immersing himself in the cultures of France, Spain and Italy. He eventually settled in New York, where he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
His Broadway debut was in a play, and he went on to appear in several popular early 1960s television shows, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. His most prominent stage role at the time was alongside Elizabeth Ashley in Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park (1963).
