July 29, 2002. Copyright, 2002, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Influential movie man celebrates 65th birthday
By Mark Samms

LONDON, July 29, Graphic News:  Many adjectives have been applied to Robert Redford since he first came to prominence more than 30 years ago Ð ÒruggedÓ, ÒhandsomeÓ and ÒsexyÓ foremost among them.

However, the description of which he is most proud, and to which he has remained faithful throughout his career, is ÒindependentÓ. Redford has a mind of his own, and he doesnÕt care who knows it.

Despite becoming one of HollywoodÕs most dependable box-office attractions via a succession of mainstream, money-making movies, he has maintained a streak of cussedness that may occasionally have blighted his judgment, but ensured he retained his integrity.

He made it clear early in his career that he had no intention of being categorised merely as a Òpretty-boyÓ actor, and branched out into directing and producing as soon as he could, quickly involving himself in Oscar-winning projects.

At the height of his fame in the early eighties, Redford founded the Sundance Institute, an organisation devoted to the promotion and furtherance of independent American film-making. The annual Sundance Film Festival, launched a few years later, is now a hugely-successful platform for young writers, directors and cinematographers, and a breeding ground for arthouse movies.

Now, as he approaches his 65th birthday, he revels in his reputation as one of the grand old men of Hollywood. His fame and skills as an impresario extend far beyond anything he dreamed possible when he left university, initially to work in the oil industry, before adopting a more bohemian lifestyle as a painter in Paris.

Robert Redford was never content to establish a legacy of quality acting and movie-making. He wanted to make his mark on the industry in a more meaningful way, by ensuring that young talent had the opportunity to flourish.
/ENDS