Robert Redford, the legendary actor who died yesterday (September 16), has a legacy like no other.
But fans believe the Academy Award-winner did his best work away from the Hollywood sphere. He may have won a Best Director Oscar in 1980 and featured in the likes of The Sting, All the President’s Men, and The Candidate, but fans believe Redford’s most important job was off-screen.
The veteran performer would also establish the Sundance Film Festival. It remains the largest independent film festival in the United States.
His work in founding the festival in 1978 has been hailed by members of the public, who believe Redford’s legacy is made all the better by his hard work with up and coming filmmakers.
People have since taken to X to share their praise for the late legend, who retired from movie-making in 2018.
One person wrote: “Robert Redford’s most important contribution to film.” Redford would reveal the reason he founded the Sundance Film Festival in an interview where he praised the likes of Ryan Coogler and Liz Garbus.
Coogler released his latest film, Sinners, earlier this year while Garbus would work on a series of Netflix documentaries, including Harry & Meghan.
Speaking on why the Sundance Film Festival was so important, Redford said before he died: “Nothing’s more enjoyable to me than having created something you hope would create opportunities for other people to keep something alive.
“When the mainstream starts to tighten up and put its forks into what it thinks is going to make money, things get narrowed down, and you miss some of the more experimental films.”
Redford would go on to suggest that seein filmmakers like Coogler and Garbus flourish was “my reward, it really is.”
Film lovers have since praised Redford’s honesty in the interview, and believe his greatest contribution to cinema is not his award-winning works, but his kindling of others who could go on to do the same.
One person wrote: “When you have a genuine love for the craft, you will always feel the need to assist and uplift future generations.”
Another added: “The thing about him that so many can learn from is he truly wanted to create opportunities for other filmmakers.” And a third person shared: “They don’t make them like him anymore. We have to make ourselves into men like him.”
Redford would win two Academy Awards during his career, one for Best Director in 1980, and an honorary Oscar in 2001. He was also nominated for Best Actor for The Sting in 1973.
He received two further nominations in 1994 for the Ralph Fiennes-starring Quiz Show. Redford was nominated for Best Director and also Best Picture that year, but lost out to Forrest Gump in both categories.