SAG-AFTRA mourns the loss of SAG Life Achievement honoree Robert Redford, who passed away today at the age 89.
Redford, the founder of the Sundance Film Festival, a tireless activist and an accomplished actor and director, received the Life Achievement Award in 1995.
“It is impossible to overstate the impact that Robert Redford had on this world. As a filmmaker, a philanthropist, a performer and more, Robert Redford is the essence of cinema. From Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to All the President’s Men and for decades beyond, he set a standard of excellence that all actors aspire to.
His Sundance Film Festival launched the careers of countless filmmakers and elevated the work of so many performers. He was a man of civics and art. On behalf of the members of SAG-AFTRA, we thank him for the example he set and we will miss him very much,” said SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin. Astin went on to recount his favorite line of dialogue from Redford, from the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. “He says before leaping from a cliffside, ‘I can’t swim.’ Well, today he swims with the angels.”
Redford joined SAG-AFTRA in 1959 and broke through to become a major star after the success of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in which he starred opposite Paul Newman, another SAG Life Achievement honoree. Over the next several years, he would star in numerous hit films, including The Way We Were, The Sting and All the President’s Men. Redford distinguished himself as a director after taking home the Oscar for Ordinary People, his directorial debut. His love of independent film led him to found the Sundance Film Festival, as well as the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Channel.
As an activist, Redford championed environmentalist causes and was a member of SAG-AFTRA’s Green Council. He was also a powerful advocate for Native American and LGBTQ rights.
In accepting the 32nd Life Achievement Award, Redford expressed his appreciation to his fellow union members.
“The biggest reason I am honored is that I think probably the most meaningful award, at least to me, is an award where you’re voted on or celebrated by your peers,” he said.
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists, influencers and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices who entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists in the 21st century and beyond. Visit sagaftra.org online or find us on social (Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky and Tik Tok).
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