Actor and filmmaker Robert Redford’s passing has stunned the global community. The renowned star of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid passed away at the age of 89, surrounded by his family, leaving behind a significant legacy.
Redford was in his Utah residence at the time of his death, with the cause undisclosed thus far. Apart from his iconic role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Redford appeared in notable films such as The Sting, All the President’s Men, and Out of Africa.
In addition to his acting career, Redford was recognized as a director, producer, and environmental advocate. He bid farewell to his acting profession in 2018 when he declared his retirement.
Over the years, Redford was romantically associated with various women and engaged in a publicized disagreement with Barbra Streisand. Redford had been married twice in his lifetime. Initially, in 1958, he wed Lola Van Wagenen, a prominent American film and TV producer known for The American Experience. Their nuptials took place at her grandmother’s residence.
The couple had four children together, consisting of two sons and two daughters. Tragically, their first son, Scott Anthony, passed away in 1959 at just two and a half months old due to sudden infant death syndrome. In addition to his four children, Redford also had seven grandchildren.
Following their divorce in 1985, Redford was linked romantically to Sonia Braga, Lena Olin, and Kathy O’Rear. In 2009, he remarried his long-time partner Sibylle Szaggars in Hamburg. Despite Redford’s illustrious film career, Szaggars revealed she had never watched any of his movies. She confessed in 2014 that she only watched 15 minutes of each film before dinner.
Reportedly, this mutual understanding drew Redford to his second wife. He expressed, “It was a wonderful beginning of a relationship, because it began as two human beings meeting each other and finding a connection as two human beings, rather than being colored by success.” The couple did not have any children together.
On another note, although Streisand and Redford never pursued a romantic relationship, their discord arose from Redford’s reluctance to collaborate with her. They co-starred in the 1973 romantic drama The Way We Were. Director Sydney Pollack mentioned that Redford had reservations about Streisand’s perceived dominating demeanor.
Despite the initial friction, the movie turned out to be a major success, and the two remained friends for decades afterward.