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Robert Redford
Age
76
Birthday
Aug. 18th, 1936
Born in
Santa Monica, California, USA
Height
5' 9"
Born on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, to Charles Robert Redford, an accountant for Standard Oil, and Martha Hart. His mother died in 1955, the year after he graduated from high school. Charles Robert Redford Jr. was a scrappy kid who stole hubcaps in high school and lost his college baseball scholarship at the University of Colorado because of drunkenness. After studying at the Pratt Institute of Art and living the painter's life in Europe, he studied acting in New York at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Lola Van Wagenen (consumer activist), born in 1940, dropped out of college to marry Redford on September 12, 1958. They divorced in 1985 after having four children, one of whom died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Daughter Shauna Redford, born November 15, 1960, is a painter who married Eric Schlosser on October 5, 1985, in Provo, UT. Her first child, born in January 1991, made Redford a grandfather. Son James Redford (aka Jamie Redford), a screenwriter, was born May 5, 1962. Daughter Amy Redford, an actress; was born October 22, 1970. Redford also has a brother named William.
Television and stage experience coupled with all-American good looks led to movies and television roles. His breakthrough role was "The Sundance Kid" in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), when the actor was 32. The Way We Were (1973) and The Sting (1973), both in 1973, made Redford the number one box office star for the next three years. Redford used his clout to advance environmental causes and his riches to acquire Utah property, which he transformed into a ranch and the Sundance ski resort. In 1980, he established the Sundance Institute for aspiring filmmakers. Its annual film festival has become one of the world's most influential. Redford's directorial debut, Ordinary People (1980), won him the Academy Award as Best Director in 1981. He waited eight years before getting behind the camera again, this time for the screen version of John Nichols (I)' acclaimed novel of the Southwest, The Milagro Beanfield War (1988). He scored with critics and fans in 1992 with the Brad Pitt film A River Runs Through It (1992), and again, in 1994, with Quiz Show (1994), which earned him yet another Best Director nomination.
TRIVIA:
- Born to Charles Robert Redford Sr., an accountant, and his wife Martha W. Hart.
- Mentioned in the theme song of the 1980s TV hit _"The Fall Guy" (1981)_ (qv).
- 2005: Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients were 'Tina Turner' (qv), 'Tony Bennett (I)' (qv), 'Suzanne Farrell' (qv) and 'Julie Harris (I)' (qv).
- Directed 4 actors in Oscar nominated performances: 'Mary Tyler Moore' (qv), 'Judd Hirsch' (qv), 'Timothy Hutton' (qv), and 'Paul Scofield (I)' (qv). Hutton won for his performance in _Ordinary People (1980)_ (qv).
- 2002: Awarded an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement as the creator of Sundance, an inspiration to independent and innovative filmmakers everywhere.
- His performance as the Sundance Kid in _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)_ (qv) is ranked #20 on the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes & Villains. This is a ranking he shares with 'Paul Newman (I)' (qv), who portrayed Butch Cassidy.
- Was considered for the role of Michael Corleone in _The Godfather (1972)_ (qv).
- Left-handed.
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