Many of you know I've mostly stopped doing regular posts when a celebrity dies. There have been so many celebrity deaths the last few years, if I noted them all, the site would be mostly obituaries. Instead, I note them at the end of the year. I had to make an exception however for Robert Redford.
When I was a kid, I knew his name, I knew his face, but didn't really know his work. One of Hollywood's last real movie stars, he was was one of the world's most well known male sex symbols for decades. I saw a few of his film son VHS when I was teenager, but mostly his more forgettable films from the 80's and 90's. It wasn't until TCM that I really got know Redford's skill as an actor and his face and blond hair that lit up the screen.
I have a few favorite Redford films including The Candidate, The Last Days of Conor and The Way We Were. My favorite project of Redford's though was Ordinary People, his directorial debut. I remember seeing the film on VHS, and again on DVD, and being blown away by the performances and the power of the story. The scene in the backyard with Mary Tyler Moore and Timothy Hutton, (where they discuss the barking dog) haunted me for some reason. That was Redford's skill at pulling the power from even very small moments.
I knew about Redford's philanthropy and his championing of independent films and environmental issues. I wasn't really aware however, until reading some of his obits, he was also a huge supporter of the LBGTQ community,. Redford played a gay role early in his career, (Inside Daisy Clover) and also championed same sex marriage and equality saying it is un-American to discriminate against gay people. R.I.P Mr. Movie Star.
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