Robert Redford, the legendary actor known for films like “All the President’s Men” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” died on Tuesday morning at 89 years old. Almost immediately, tributes from his fellow industry titans came pouring in.
Stephen King was among the earliest to pay tribute to the Oscar-winning director, writing that Redford was “part of a new and exciting Hollywood in the ’70s and ’80s.” Meanwhile, Richard Roeper, the renowned critic who was once half of the “At the Movies With Ebert Roeper” show alongside Roger Ebert, hailed Redford’s catalogue.
“A classic 1960s rom-com. An all-time great Western. A legendary caper film. An enduring survivalist tale. A spy thriller for the ages. THE greatest journalism film. A brilliant political satire. A glorious baseball fable,” he wrote. “What a library. What a legacy. RIP Robert Redford.”
Fellow actor-turned-director Ron Howard added, “Thank you Robert Redford, a tremendously influential cultural figure for the creative choices made as an actor/producer/director & for launching the Sundance Film Festival which supercharged America’s Independent Film movement. Artistic Gamechanger.”
One of Redford’s most impactful films was, of course, “All the President’s Men,” in which he played journalist Bob Woodward. The real-life Woodward also remembered Redford on Tuesday, as someone who was “genuine, a noble and principled force for good who fought successfully to find and communicate the truth.”
“His impact and influence on my life cannot be overstated,” Woodward said in a statement to the New York Times. “I loved him, and admired him — for his friendship, his fiery independence, and the way he used any platform he had to help make the world better, fairer, brighter for others.
“It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone. I can’t stop crying,” Jane Fonda said in a statement to USA Today. “He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way. He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.”
Meryl Streep also mourned her former co-star, saying in a statement to media that “”One of the lions has passed. Rest in peace my lovely friend.”
Fellow director Martin Scorsese, who starred in Redford’s film “Quiz Show,” remembered him for having “a great sensitivity as a director, quite unlike anything I’d ever seen.”
“I have a vivid memory of seeing him in the historic broadcast of ‘The Iceman Cometh’ in 1960, and a few years later in the film ‘Inside Daisy Clover.’ And then there was ‘The Candidate’ — a picture and a performance I’ve always loved — the beautiful work he did with Paul Newman, his touching performance as Jay Gatsby, and his collaboration with Sydney Pollack, spanning seven pictures across three decades,” Scorsese recalled in a statement.
“Later, when Bob turned to directing, he applied the same commitment and energy to filmmaking that he did to acting. I was particularly struck by ‘A River Runs Through It,’ which is such a spare, delicate, concentrated film, and in the end such a deeply emotional experience.”
“Bob was a unique artist, in front of and behind the camera,” Scorsese continued. “He was also a dedicated member of The Film Foundation board, and he gave the world of American cinema something irreplaceable and lasting with Sundance. It saddens me to know that I won’t be seeing him again. And I’ll never forget my time with him.”
Indeed, Redford was also the founder of the Sundance Institute, which became a beloved and respected place for independent filmmakers and other artists to introduce their new works to the world.
“In addition to being a titanic acting and directing talent, as an early board member of the Sundance Institute, I saw first-hand the Sundance Kid’s passionate commitment to indie film and young artists,” Tom Rothman, the Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group said in a statement.
“Robert Redford truly gave back. The entire scope of American film would have been much poorer without him. An amazing legacy of an amazing man.”
Actress and activist Marlee Matlin also praised the Sundance element of Redford’s career, expressing her gratitude for its existence.
“Our film, ‘CODA,’ came to the attention of everyone because of Sundance. And Sundance happened because of Robert Redford,” she wrote. “A genius has passed. RIP Robert.”
In 1980, Redford won the Academy Award for Best Director for his directorial debut “Ordinary People.” Redford was also nominated for Best Actor for “The Sting,” as well as both Best Director and Best Picture for “Quiz Show,” ultimately getting an Honorary Oscar in 2002.
Over the course of his career, Redford also picked up a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globes, a SAG Life Achievement Award, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, and an Honorary César.
In a statement to EW, Scarlett Johansson recalled her time working with Redford on “Horse Whisperer.”
“Every day before each scene, he would take the time to sit with me and walk me through all of the beats that led my character up until that particular point in the story,” she said. “No matter the reality of the days rush, I always felt he had all the time in the world for our work.”
Ben Stiller kept his tribute simple, writing: “No actor more iconic.”
Additional tributes were shared by Jake Tapper, William Shatner, Piers Morgan and many more. You can see more reactions to Redford’s death, below.
