Robert Redford was the sun-kissed golden boy of American cinema, but behind the effortless charm stood a father shaped by private heartbreak. He died on September 16, 2025, remembered not only for Oscars, Sundance, and decades of iconic roles, but for a life centered on family.
Long before fame, Redford and his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen, scraped by in New York and welcomed four children. Their first, Scott, died at just 2½ months from SIDS—a loss Redford said never truly left him and quietly shadowed his success.
Decades later, tragedy struck again when his son James “Jamie” Redford died in 2020 after a long battle with liver disease. Redford often said the hardest part of life was when your children suffered, yet he called his kids his greatest achievement.
His daughters, painter Shauna and filmmaker-actor Amy, carry on his creative spirit. Redford’s final days were spent in Utah, the place he loved most—a trailblazer in film whose legacy blends artistic daring with the tender, complicated devotion of a grieving father.
