"One of the Lions Has Passed": Meryl Streep, Sundance, and More Pay Tribute to Robert Redford

Tributes to Robert Redford are flooding in Tuesday morning as the news breaks that the beloved actor and Hollywood figure died at the age of 89.

Redford, who starred in films including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, and All the President’s Men, reportedly died peacefully in his home in Utah. “Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah— the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved,” his publicist, Cindi Berger, said in a statement to the press. “He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy.”

Aside from his status as a Hollywood icon in the '70s and '80s, Redford’s love for film went far beyond his own acting career. He won Best Picture at the Academy Awards for his Donald Sutherland-starring film, Ordinary People, which was his directorial debut. Redford also established the Sundance Film Festival, which quickly became the country’s largest showcase for independent films. The first-ever festival in 1978 featured films such as A Streetcar Named Desire, Deliverance, Mean Streets, Midnight Cowboy, and a Sweet Smell of Success. Many future Oscar winners also got their start at Sundance, including CODA, Little Miss Sunshine, Whiplash, Boyhood, Moonstruck, and many more.

In a statement to the press, The Sundance Institute wrote that they were deeply saddened by the loss of the their "founder and friend."

"Bob’s vision of a space and a platform for independent voices launched a movement that, over four decades later, has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema in the U.S. and around the world," the statement continued. "Beyond his enormous contributions to culture at large, we will miss his generosity, clarity of purpose, curiosity, rebellious spirit, and his love for the creative process. We are humbled to be among the stewards of his remarkable legacy, which will continue to guide the Institute in perpetuity."

Marlee Matlin, star of the Oscar Best Picture winning film CODA, also wrote on social media that their film only, “came to the attention of everyone because of Sundance. And Sundance happened because of Robert Redford.”

As more tributes come in from Ron Howard, Hillary Clinton, Ben Stiller, Stephen King, William Shatner, Colman Domingo, and more, you can scroll through some of them below.