Native Issues
Obituary
Sep 16, 2025

Robert Redford, movie star and film visionary, dies at age 89

Robert Redford, actor and Oscar-winning director, died at age 89 on Tuesday morning at his home in Provo, Utah, according to reporting by NPR. He acted in more than 80 movies, including “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Sting,” “All the President’s Men” and “Jeremiah Johnson.” In 1981, he founded the Sundance Institute, which became a launching pad for independent film artists.

One such artist, Sterlin Harjo, a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and of Muskogee descent, created the award-winning TV series “Reservation Dogs” about four Indigenous teenagers growing up on a rural Oklahoma reservation. In a social media post, Harjo remembered Redford as a generous and inspiring man, saying “RIP Mr. Redford. My career and path as a young man was defined by his commitment to empower Native film and storytellers .… Journey Well.”

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