## Robert Redford: A Life in Film
Charles Robert Redford was born on August 18, 1936, in โฃSanta Monica, California, to a milkman who later became an accountant. A talented athlete, he earned aโ baseball scholarship to the University of Colorado, though he only attended for a year. following his mother’s death, โคRedford experienced a period of heavy drinking (the University of Colorado later awarded him anโข honorary doctorate in 1983).โ He used earnings fromโฃ various jobs to travel to Europe, studying painting briefly in โขParis and Florence.
Returning to the US in 1958, Redford married historian and environmental activist Lola van Wagenen, โคwith whom he had four children, tragically losing one as anโข infant. the couple โdivorced โคin 1985. Their daughter, Amy Redfordโ (45), is also a triumphant actress, director, andโ producer. Since 2009, Redford has been married toโค German artist Sibylleโ Szaggars, โand enjoys his role as a grandfather โof seven.
From Athlete to Actor: Early Roles
Redford’s interest inโ acting โขwas sparkedโข during a visit to the new York Pratt Institute, leading him toโค enroll at the American Academyโฃ of dramatic Arts in 1959. He โคdebuted on Broadway thatโข same year, playing a basketball player,โข andโข achieved โฃmeaningful successโ in Neilโ Simon’s comedy *Barefoot in the Park* (1963), a role he later reprised inโฃ the 1967 film adaptation alongside Jane Fonda. He also appearedโ in โseveral television โseriesโ during the early 1960s.
A โคpivotal momentโข in his career arrived โฃwith the comedy โWestern *Butch Cassidy and the Sundance โKid* (1969). The role of the charming outlawโ broadened his range and โallowed him greater control over hisโ future roles. He formed a memorable partnership with Paul newman in *The Sting* (1973), earning his onlyโ Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. โ Other notable films from this period include โขtheโค politically charged dramas *All the President’s Men* (1976) and *The Candidate* (1972), and also theโฃ psychological drama *Brubaker* (1980), set within a prison surroundings.
Behind the Camera: A Director Emerges
In โtheโข early 1980s, Redford transitioned toโ directing, achieving immediate success with *Ordinary People* (1980). The film garnered four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. He received further Oscarโฃ nominations for Bestโค Director โfor *Quiz Show* (1994) and theโ romantic drama *The Horse Whisperer* (1998), which also earnedโ a Golden Globe nomination.
Later directorial effortsโ include the war dramaโ *Lions for Lambs* (2007) and *The Company โYou Keep* (2012). Despite โคacknowledging declining โphysical stamina, Redford โtook on the challenging โขrole of โa lone sailor in *All Is Lost* (2013). He also โproduced the ancient drama *The Conspirator*,focusing on the assassination ofโค abraham Lincoln. Throughout โhis career, Redford has been a dedicated producer of independent and documentary films.
In 2005,Redford was honored with the Crystal Globe for his extraordinary contribution to world cinema atโ the international Filmโข Festival inโ Karlovy Vary.
In November 2016, Redford announced โhis intention โto retire from acting, citing a desire to complete two remaining filmโฃ projects. โHe stated, “I am getting tired of acting.โ I’m an impatient person and โฃit’s hard for me to sit and shoot a shot.”โ He officiallyโฃ announced his retirement from acting in theโฃ summer of 2018, prior to the โpremiere โof *Theโค Old Man & the Gun*, in which he played an experienced bank robber. When asked โabout directing,he left โคthe possibility open,stating,”We’ll see.”
Trailer for the movieโฃ the Old Man & the Gun VIDEO: YouTube/Searchlightpictures