Amy Redford, the daughter of the late Hollywood icon Robert Redford, appeared on NBC's Today show this Monday to share poignant reflections on her father's life and enduring influence. The appearance comes just weeks before the first Sundance Film Festival since the actor and filmmaker's passing.
A Daughter's Personal Tribute
The 55-year-old actress fondly remembered her father, who died peacefully in his sleep last September at the age of 89. She described his essential character with three heartfelt words: 'playful, curious, and kind.' Speaking for herself and her siblings, Amy emphasised the profound lesson he imparted. "I think what he taught us to do is really find the thing that we’re most passionate about and the things that we think might be able to change the world," she told hosts Laura Jarrett and Peter Alexander.
Robert Redford was father to four children with his former wife, historian Lola Van Wagenen, 87. Their family includes Shauna, 65, the late James who died in 2020 at 58, and Scott, who passed away in infancy in 1959. Amy highlighted how her father's unique approach to their upbringing shaped their values. "The best thing I think he did for my family was raise us between New York City and the mountains of Sundance," she said, explaining that this duality taught them a "very strong value of stewardship" for the natural world, a principle she and her siblings carry to this day.
The Sundance Legacy and Defying Doubters
Amy's interview was timed ahead of the annual Sundance Film Festival, the landmark event for independent cinema which her father co-founded in 1978. The festival is scheduled to run in Utah from January 22 to February 1 and will this year be held in Redford's honour.
She recalled that the festival itself was born from defiance after Robert Redford was advised against starting it. "If you tell him not to do it, that just means it hasn’t been done yet," Amy stated, capturing her father's pioneering spirit. His motivation, she explained, was a deep-seated belief in using his platform for change. "He decided, 'Well, I have some platform, and I’m going to use it to change the world.'"
Redford's vision was to uncover untold stories and unseen storytellers, a mission that launched the careers of directors like Ryan Coogler and Chloé Zhao through the Sundance Institute. "He was not a person to look over his shoulder," Amy remembered, noting his forward-thinking nature. His legacy, she believes, is about "giving forward," exemplified by initiatives like The Redford Center, which he founded with his late son James.
A Final Curtain Call and a Surprise Return
Robert Redford enjoyed a celebrated career spanning six decades, with his last major film role being in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. He had publicly suggested his retirement from acting in 2018, telling Us Weekly that his role in The Old Man & The Gun would likely be his last. However, he later retracted that statement, calling it "a mistake."
Fans were therefore delighted by a final, posthumous appearance. Redford made a cameo in the season three premiere of the Western thriller Dark Winds in early 2024, a series on which he also served as an executive producer. In the scene, he starred opposite George R. R. Martin in a tense prison chess match. The seasoned actor, ever private, requested a closed set to film the poignant segment, offering a final glimpse of his talent before his passing.
