10/97: Ranked #29 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
1960: He spent his last $500 on two acres of land in Utah, an investment that would ultimately grow to 5,000 acres becoming home to his Sundance Institute. Founded by Redford in 1969, Sundance is located at the base of Utah's picturesque Mt. Timpanogos.
1970s: Considered running for the U.S. Senate seat in his home state of Utah.
1995: Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#4).
1996: Awarded the American National Medal of the Arts by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, DC.
2002: Awarded an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement as the creator of Sundance, an inspiration to independent and innovative filmmakers everywhere.
2004: In addition to being the graduation speaker for Bard College's 144th Commencement, he also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the college.
2005: Premiere Magazine ranked him as #17 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature.
2005: Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients were Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, Suzanne Farrell and Julie Harris.
After his suggestions of Warren Beatty, Alain Delon and Burt Reynolds to play the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) were rejected by Francis Ford Coppola, Paramount production chief Robert Evans suggested Redford. When Coppola demurred, preferring his first choice of Tony Awar-winning Broadway actor Al Pacino, Evans explained that Redford could fit the role as he could be perceived as "northern Italian." Evans lost the struggle, Pacino was cast and a star was born.
Along with Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson, Richard Attenborough and Kevin Costner one of six people to win and Academy Award for Best Director, though they are mainly known as actors.
Alumni of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA).
Appeared in 7 movies that were directed by Sydney Pollack: This Property Is Condemned (1966), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Electric Horseman (1979), Out of Africa (1985) and Havana (1990/I). They also both appeared in War Hunt (1962).
As a guest on "Inside the Actors Studio" (1994) (30 Jan. 2005), Redford confessed to host James Lipton that his favorite and least favorite words were, respectively, "Possible" and "Whatever".
Born to Charles Robert Redford Sr., an accountant, and his wife Martha W. Hart.
Directed 4 actors in Oscar nominated performances: Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton, and Paul Scofield. Hutton won for his performance in Ordinary People (1980).
Dislikes watching his own films. The only film in which he was completely satisfied with his own performance was The Sting (1973).
During his senior year at Van Nuys High School, he met 15-year old sophomore Natalie Wood, who was already a star. Later in life, they starred together in Inside Daisy Clover (1965) and This Property Is Condemned (1966) and became good friends.
Father of Shauna Redford (born on 15 November 1960), James Redford (born on 15 May 1962) and Amy Redford (born on 22 October 1970). His oldest son Scott was born in 1959 and died shortly after from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Father-in-law of Eric Schlosser.