-
01
He often did his own stunts in action sequences but made sure the stunt men who were hired for it were paid, so as not to put anyone out of work.
-
02
Dislikes watching his own films. The only film in which he was completely satisfied with his own performance was The Sting 1973.
-
03
He is the founder of the Sundance Film Festival, which he named after his character from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969.
-
04
In 2002, he was awarded an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement as the creator of Sundance, an inspiration to independent and innovative filmmakers everywhere.
-
05
He was a pitcher on the University of Colorado baseball team, before losing his scholarship due to drinking.
-
06
Was considered for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather 1972.
-
07
His performance as the Sundance Kid in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969 is ranked #20 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Heroes & Villains, a ranking he shares with Paul Newman, who portrayed Butch Cassidy.
-
08
Father of Shauna Redford born November 15, 1960, James Redford born May 15, 1962, and Amy Redford born October 22, 1970. His oldest son Scott was born in 1959 and died shortly after from sudden infant death syndrome.
-
09
He appeared in five films written by William Goldman: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969, The Hot Rock 1972, The Great Waldo Pepper 1975, All the President’s Men 1976, and A Bridge Too Far 1977.
-
10
In 1960, he spent his last $500 on two acres of land in Utah, an investment that would ultimately grow to 5,000 acres becoming home to his Sundance Institute. He purchased Timp Haven ski resort in 1969 and renamed it Sundance Ski Resort, which operated under environmentally friendly policies. Sundance is located at the base of Utah’s Mount Timpanogos. In 1981, he formed the Sundance Institute and later the Sundance Film Festival.
-
11
His performance as Bob Woodward in All the President’s Men 1976 is ranked #27 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Heroes & Villains, a ranking he shares with Dustin Hoffman, who portrayed Carl Bernstein.
-
12
Like his dear friend Paul Newman, both men had firstborn sons named Scott who predeceased their fathers.
-
13
Lost out on the role of Ben Braddock in The Graduate 1967 because director Mike Nichols didn’t think anyone would believe Redford would have trouble getting the girl.
-
14
Was originally attached to The Verdict 1982 but dropped out prior to production because he didn’t want the character to be such a loser. Director Sidney Lumet was dismayed by Redford’s demands to change the script. The role of Frank Galvin was taken over by his friend Paul Newman, who won an Oscar nomination.
-
15
He set up the Sundance Film Institute in Utah for independent filmmakers and in 1997 announced the creation of Sundance Cinemas, a venture with a major distributor to set up a chain of theaters for independent films. As of 2011, at least two are open.
-
16
His daughter Shauna was in a relationship with Sid Wells for three years until he was murdered on August 1, 1983. The suspect, roommate Thayne Smika, has been on the run since 1986 over theft charges. After a cold case investigation in December 2010, an arrest warrant for the murder was issued.
-
17
Appeared in seven movies directed by Sydney Pollack: This Property Is Condemned 1966, Jeremiah Johnson 1972, The Way We Were 1973, Three Days of the Condor 1975, The Electric Horseman 1979, Out of Africa 1985, and Havana 1990. They also both appeared in War Hunt 1962.
-
18
Along with Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson, Richard Attenborough, and Kevin Costner, he is one of six people to win an Academy Award for Best Director, though they are mainly known as actors.
-
19
During the filming of All Is Lost 2013, Redford was so repeatedly soaked by a huge water hose that he suffered an infection in his left ear, ultimately costing him 60% of his hearing.
-
20
Lifelong friends with Sydney Pollack, both men made their feature film acting debuts in War Hunt 1962. Redford’s very first acting job was a bit part on Perry Mason in The Case of the Treacherous Toupee 1960.
-
21
His favorite film is The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948.
-
22
During his senior year at Van Nuys High School, he met 15-year-old sophomore Natalie Wood, who was already a star. They later worked together in Inside Daisy Clover 1965 and This Property Is Condemned 1966 and became good friends. Eventually they lost touch, and Redford did not attend Wood’s funeral after she died in 1981.
-
23
He was voted the 30th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
-
24
Directed four actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton, and Paul Scofield. Hutton won for his performance in Ordinary People 1980.
-
25
He is an environmental conservationist and often advocates and supports natural causes.
-
26
He received a chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres knight for his work through the Sundance Institute promoting independent film.
-
27
Speaks Spanish fairly well, having lived in the south of Spain during the 1950s.
-
28
Worked for two summers at Yosemite National Park.
-
29
Was given a fishing rod in lieu of the agreed $75 payment for his first professional acting appearance, on a TV game show.
-
30
He has appeared in three films selected for the National Film Registry: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969, The Sting 1973, and All the President’s Men 1976.
-
31
As a guest on Inside the Actors Studio in 2005, Redford confessed to host James Lipton that his favorite word was Possible and his least favorite word was Whatever.
-
32
In 1995, Empire magazine chose him as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history, ranking #4.
-
33
He is of English, Irish, Scottish, and Cornish descent. His patrilineal Redford line originates in Manchester, Lancashire, England. His paternal grandmother was born in England.
-
34
In the 1970s, he considered running for the U.S. Senate seat in his home state of Utah.
-
35
Married his longtime girlfriend, 51-year-old Sibylle Szaggars, in Germany on July 11, 2009, at the Louis C. Jacob hotel.
-
36
In 2005, he was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, alongside Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, Suzanne Farrell, and Julie Harris.
-
37
Alumnus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts AADA, Class of 1959.
-
38
The #1 seat of the Henri Langlois cinema of the Cinémathèque française in Paris bears a plaque with his name since February 23, 2019.
-
39
Robert Young, who was a star at MGM in the 1930s and starred in the TV series Father Knows Best and Marcus Welby, M.D., was a cousin of his mother.
-
40
In Germany, he shares his dubbing voice with Patrick Stewart and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
-
41
Lyrics to Mel Tillis’ song Coca Cola Cowboy refer to an Eastwood smile and Robert Redford hair.
-
42
After his suggestions of Warren Beatty, Alain Delon, and Burt Reynolds to play Michael Corleone in The Godfather 1972 were rejected by Francis Ford Coppola, Paramount production chief Robert Evans suggested Redford. When Coppola demurred, Evans explained that Redford could be perceived as northern Italian. Evans lost the struggle, Al Pacino was cast, and a star was born.
-
43
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama on November 22, 2016, in a ceremony with twenty other recipients, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ellen DeGeneres, Robert De Niro, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Tom Hanks, Michael Jordan, and Bruce Springsteen.
-
44
German painter Bylle Szaggars-Redford has been his longtime companion since 1996.
-
45
He has appeared in four films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969, The Sting 1973, All the President’s Men 1976, and Out of Africa 1985. The Sting and Out of Africa won. He also directed two Best Picture nominees: Ordinary People 1980 and Quiz Show 1994, with the former winning.
-
46
Born to Charles Robert Redford Sr., an accountant, and his wife Martha W. Hart. His father was from Rhode Island; his mother was born in Texas.
-
47
He and famed Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale were in the same high school graduating class Van Nuys High School, Class of 1954.
-
48
Turned down leading roles in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1966, The Graduate 1967, Rosemary’s Baby 1968, Love Story 1970, and The Day of the Jackal 1973.
-
49
Grandfather of Anna Michaela Schlosser born 1991, Conor James Schlosser born 1992, Dylan Larson Redford born 1991, Lena Redford born 1996, and Eden Hart August born 2008.
-
50
Stanley Kubrick offered him the titular role in Barry Lyndon 1975. Redford declined, and Kubrick gave the role to Ryan O’Neal.
