Robert Redford Celebrates 85 Years – Film and Television – PRAVDA.sk

It was in December 2015 that the news of Robert Redford’s death appeared on social networks. The famous American actor and director was to die in California in an unfortunate fall from a golf cart. The news spread in a flash and in 15 minutes social networks flooded the expressions of condolences to the great artist. However, it soon became clear that it was just a hoax and Redford was in good health. It is no different today, when he lives to be 85 years old.

Although he is a very talented actor, for his appearance he struggled for a long time so that they would not be taken only as a female idol. “It simply came to my notice then. As if they put me in a cage, “he complained.

According to him, viewers did not recognize his first television roles, where he also played rapists and lunatics. “It was a pride to take on the role and be convincing in it. But instead, I hear about my blonde hair! I found out that they wouldn’t let me out of that cage anymore, “he said.

From painting to acting

Redford was born on August 18, 1936 in the California city of Santa Monica. His father was a dairyman and an accountant, but he spent too much time at work, so his uncle David in particular became the boy’s role model. As a talented athlete, he instilled in him a love of sports, so Robert soon excelled in baseball, tennis and American football.

After high school, he enrolled at the University of Colorado, where he was awarded a sports scholarship. However, when his mother died in 1955, he could not cope. He got drunk, robbed other students or snuck into empty homes.

When he was expelled from school, he decided to make a living from art. He went to Europe, where he earned his living as a street painter. He spent some time in Paris, Florence and Munich before returning to America in 1957.

He began studying fine art in New York, but realized that this would not make his career. When acquaintances advised him to try it as an actor, he obeyed. He enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Arts and tried his luck at auditions.

Read more Robert Redford: He made money on the streets when he was young

At that time he was already the father of the family. In 1958 he married the Mormon Lola. A year later, their first son was born, but he died of the sudden infant death syndrome a few weeks later. It shook Redford, but the marriage lasted – 27 years. He then had three more children with Lola.

His career started first in the theater. He made his small film debut on Broadway in 1959, and four years later achieved his first success with Bare Feet in the Park. At that time, he was also appearing on television and in film.

Even there, he finally became famous for the same title as on stage – the comedy Bare Feet in the Park, where he played with Jane Fonda. She later admitted that she fell in love with “Bob” and looked forward to every love scene with him, even though he hated such scenes.

Life in seclusion

The real star from Redford was made by the legendary western Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid (1969), where his partner was Paul Newman. The film became a blockbuster and Redford suddenly found that it had lost its privacy. At the same time, he found a lifelong friend in Newman.

Jobs then rushed in, but Redford didn’t take everything that came. He chose the tasks that interested him. He starred in films such as We Were, Podraz, for which he was nominated for an Oscar, the Great Gatsby, Three Days of the Condor, All the President’s Men, The Electric Rider, Brubaker, Memories of Africa, Eagles’ Rights, Spies, Indecent Proposal, Horse Sorcerer, Spy Game, Last Fortress, Live Your Own or Rules of Silence.

However, he also established himself as a director. His first film, Ordinary People (1980), earned him an Oscar statuette for best direction, and other works in which he stood behind the camera received greetings (The River Flows Here, Questions and Answers, The Sorcerer of the Horses, Heroes and Cowards, Conspiracy or Rules of Silence).

Read more A hard blow for Robert Redford! His son died of liver cancer

Despite his fame and recognition, he remained modest. He doesn’t go to parties, he avoids scandals, and he prefers a ranch in Utah, where he lives with his second wife, the German painter Sibylle Szaggars, to the splendor of Hollywood.

He is also involved in politics, charity and human rights organizations. He fights for the protection of nature, the rights of Indians and the LGBTI community. In 1978, he co-founded a well-known event for independent artists, which he named Sundance Film Festival after his most famous character.

He announced three years ago that he was ending his career, but shortly afterwards he changed his mind. “It was a mistake. I should never have said that. If I retire, I should just quietly stop playing. However, I should not talk about it, because it attracts too much attention, “he revealed in secret.

However, as he admitted earlier, he is not the type who can just be considered. Who knows if he will not be surprised by something again…