Remembering Robert Redford: A look back at Hollywood actor's environmental legacy, Bay Area ties
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Hollywood icon and environmentalist Robert Redford has died at the age of 89.
Redford passed away at his Sundance home in the mountains of Utah, his representatives calling it the place he loved, and he was surrounded by those he loved.
Redford was born in Southern California, but had many ties to the Bay Area. In a career spanning more than six decades, Redford quickly showed he was more than just a golden boy. He cemented his legacy as an Academy-Award winning filmmaker and as a champion for many causes, including indigenous culture and civil rights.
"I think for most young girls, our teenage heartthrob was Robert Redford, in their lockers," smiled Heidi Kühn, a Marin County native and founder of the nonprofit Roots of Peace. Through her work replacing landmines and restoring farmland, Kühn has connected with Redford multiple times over the last twenty years.
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"To see those heroes that you have as young girls but evolved, not only off the screen in 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' or 'The Sting'" praised Kühn. "He used that fame for higher purpose, and that is the legacy that I most admire about Robert Redford."
For 50 years, Redford served as a board trustee on the Natural Resources Defense Council or NRDC, a leading United States-based environmental advocacy group.
"He was deeply involved with our campaigns to stop the development of Pebble Mine in Alaska, to save huge parts of the American West from fossil fuel development, to address really pressing water issues," said Daniel Hinerfeld with NRDC. "He was dedicated, I think, above all else, to protecting the American West. And he really kind of became a symbol for that, not just protecting Western wilderness and wildlife, but protecting ranchers and farmers and indigenous people and indigenous culture."
Hinerfeld is the Director of Rewrite the Future, an initiative to help Hollywood tell climate-related stories at NRDC. For him, Redford was a long-time mentor and took on his role on the board with a lot pride.
"He really mentored us as media makers, as filmmakers, and he marshaled resources for us to tell our stories," said Hinerfeld.
Even when it came to other people's passions, Redford was a huge supporter and advocate.
"One of the things that I think is so extraordinary about Robert Redford is that he didn't only pursue his own passions, which were filmmaking and environmental protection, but he dedicated a huge part of his life to creating institutions that uplift other filmmakers and other environmental advocates," explained Hinerfeld. "He was a great storyteller and he recognized that the environmental movement needed to do a better job of telling its own stories."
Redford also founded the Sundance Institute, now known worldwide as the Sundance Film Festival, and in 2005, co-founded the Redford Center in San Francisco with his son, James. James Redford passed away in 2020 after battling cancer. Hinerfeld described how the center is a culmination of Redford's passion for filmmaking and the environment, and continues the shared legacy.
"What it does is uplift storytellers, diverse storytellers and help them tell positive, inspiring stories about then environment," said Hinerfeld. "And that is going to live on for years to come."
For Kühn, Redford's legacy feels more poignant than ever.
"I think during these turbulent times. It integrates the music, the art, the culture and the beautiful shots of the earth and reminding us, as humans on this particular day, to be shepherds of the one earth that we've been given to be stewards," said Kühn. "That is the legacy of Robert Redford. And, God bless his eternal soul."
Redford had a home in Tiburon until the end of last year and was induced into the California Hall of Fame in 2022.
California Governor Gavin Newsom released this statement to ABC7 News in response to Redford's passing:
"Robert was one of the foremost actors of his generation, a champion of modern cinema and independent film, and a deeply good man. He was familiar with difficulty and unafraid of a challenge; he understood the complexities of life and found beauty in the small details. His care for the world we live in was reflected in his actions, through his environmental work, and through the Sundance Institute, where he nurtured new talent and fresh voices in the film industry. A child of California, Robert was a man of boundless creativity and great empathy. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy will live on through all those that he touched and the millions more he inspired."
