The Sundance Kid: Robert Redford

Actor. Director. Producer. Environmentalist. Philanthropist. Robert Redford, a.k.a. The Sundance Kid, seems to have done it all at one time or another.

Born on August 18, 1936 in Santa Monica, Calif., Redford was the son of an oil company accountant. In high school, he excelled at sports. In 1955, a year after he finished high school, his mother passed away. After her death, he ran into some difficulties, including being fired from several jobs and having a few run-ins with the law.

He attended the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship, where he was the team’s pitcher. After just 1-1/2 years, he lost his scholarship and was asked to leave because of drunkenness. He then took the opportunity to travel around Europe, living in France, Spain, and Italy. In 1983, the University of Colorado awarded Redford with an Honorary Degree.

Redford appeared as a special guest in several TV shows and even appeared on stage before making his big screen debut in War Hunt (1962), a film set during the last days of the Korean War.

Redford went on to make such classic movies as Barefoot in the Park (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) with Paul Newman, Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973) with Barbra Streisand, Brubaker (1980), The Natural (1984), Out of Africa with Meryl Streep, Indecent Proposal (1993) with Demi Moore, Up Close and Personal (1996) with Michelle Pfeiffer, The Last Castle (2001), and Spy Game (2001) with Brad Pitt.

Redford not only starred in The Horse Whisperer with a young Scarlett Johansson, but he directed and produced it as well. He also directed and produced A River Runs Through It, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and The Conspirator.

He also narrated the IMAX documentary Sacred Plant, a film that “shows exotic places that still exist and gives new insights into the Earth’s diverse landscapes, peoples and animals. From the last remaining old growth forests of British Columbia, the snowy peaks and glaciers of Alaska, the red rock canyons of Utah and Arizona, the tropical jungles and underwater mysteries of Borneo, the ancient ruins of Thailand and remote deserts of Namibia to the white sand beaches of New Zealand.” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353965/)

“Lastly get emotionally connected to your story so you can deliver it, you know, if you can’t deliver the emotions to your script there’s no point to your story. Story is the key.” – Robert Redford (from www.brainyquote.com)

With the salaries from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Downhill Racer, Redford bought a ski area on the east side of Mount Timpanogos, just northeast of Provo, Utah. Originally named “Timp Haven”, it was later renamed “Sundance”.

In 1981, Redford founded Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute, Sundance Cinemas, Sundance Catalog, and Sundance Channel. The Sundance Film Festival, which takes place in and around Park City, Utah, caters to independent filmmakers.

In Esquire magazine, Robert Redford told of “his brush with a too-close fan, his sophisticated friendship with Paul Newman, and the perfect margarita.” Read more here: http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/meaning-of-life-2011/robert-redford-quotes-0111#ixzz22udCwd5l

Redford and Newman’s friendship spanned roughly forty years. When asked about his friendship with the late Paul Newman, Redford said, “There are certain friendships that are sometimes too good and too strong to talk about.”

When asked about the death of his friend, Paul Newman, he said, “I have lost a real friend. My life–and this country–is better for his being in it.”

Robert Redford: The Biography, written Michael Feeney Callan and published in May 2011, was written over a 15-year time period with Redford’s input and drawn from Redford’s personal diaries.

As a guest on “Inside the Actors Studio”  (30 Jan. 2005), Redford confessed to host James Lipton that his favorite and least favorite words were, respectively, “Possible” and “Whatever”. (www.imbd.com)

What is your favorite Robert Redford film (as either actor, director or producer)? Also, I’d love to hear from you if you’ve either attended the Sundance Film Festival or been a part of the Sundance Institute.

Have a great day!