Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor and director whose career spanned generations, has died at the age of 89. Known for classics such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, All the President’s Men, and Out of Africa, Redford was regarded as a legendary force in Hollywood.

His death was confirmed by Cindi Berger, chief executive of Rogers & Cowan PMK. “Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah–the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly,” she said.

Among those paying tribute was former president Donald Trump, who remarked, “Robert Redford was great; he had a series of years where there was nobody better.” When told Redford had died peacefully in his sleep, Trump responded, “That’s a good way to go, I guess.”

Redford had often voiced sharp criticism of Trump. In a 2015 interview on Larry King Now, he noted Trump’s bluntness but admitted it “shakes things up,” which he felt was needed in politics at the time. Trump responded with thanks, believing the comments supportive.

However, Redford later clarified he did not endorse Trump. In a 2020 CNN column, he backed Joe Biden, writing that four more years of Trump would “degrade our country beyond repair.” He praised Biden’s empathy and “fierce compassion” as qualities needed to restore unity and integrity.

Redford argued Trump had widened divisions at home and cost the U.S. its standing abroad. In The Washington Post, he wrote that voters, not impeachment, should ultimately remove him from office.

In another NBC op-ed, he described Trump as a “dictator-like” threat to democracy, warning that America was becoming the “Divided States of America.”

Redford’s passing leaves behind not only a remarkable cinematic legacy but also a strong voice for democracy, empathy, and social justice.