Actor Robert Redford dies – Hollywood heartthrob and champion of independent cinema

Tengrinews.kz – Hollywood legend, champion of independent cinema, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, Robert Redford has died at the age of 89 in the United States, according to The New York Times.

The actor passed away at his home in Utah.

"He died at his home in Sundance, in the Utah mountains — a place he loved, surrounded by loved ones," said Cindy Berger, director of the Rogers & Cowan PMK agency.

The cause of death was not disclosed.

Redford rose to fame in the 1960s, and in 1980 he won an Oscar for Best Director for the film Ordinary People, which also won Best Picture.

However, he is perhaps best known for two earlier films starring alongside Paul Newman — the 1969 western heist classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting (1973), both of which became cinematic milestones.

In the 1970s, Redford invested his earnings into founding the Sundance Institute and Film Festival, fostering independent filmmaking long before indie cinema became a mainstream trend.