Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor and director who became one of Hollywood’s most enduring screen icons, died Tuesday at his home in Utah at age 89, prompting an outpouring of tributes from actresses who worked with him and who, by their own account or that of others, found him irresistible on and off camera.
Those tributes ranged from public statements to recollections from people who said they had harbored crushes or been captivated by his presence on set. Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand and Meryl Streep were among the leading ladies who described strong professional and personal impressions of Redford; other co-stars, including Demi Moore and Michelle Pfeiffer, also posted remembrances.
Barbra Streisand said she found working with Redford on the 1973 film The Way We Were to be “exciting, intense and pure joy,” posting on Instagram that the pair were “such opposites” and that they kept trying to learn more about each other as did their characters. Writer Robert Hofler, in his book about the film, described Streisand as “infatuated” with Redford and reported anecdotes suggesting a potent on-set chemistry. Hofler also wrote that Redford took precautions during filming, reportedly wearing “two athletic supporters” to protect himself, and that he declined to deliver a line in a sex scene because he did not want his character to appear inadequate.
An insider referenced by Hofler said Streisand may never publicly disclose whether her on-screen chemistry with Redford carried into a relationship off camera. Streisand attended the 2002 Academy Awards with Redford when he received an honorary Oscar.
Jane Fonda, who appeared in five films with Redford including the 1967 romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park and the 2018 drama Our Souls at Night, said she was deeply affected by his death. In remarks to The Post, Fonda said she “can’t stop crying” and called Redford “a beautiful person in every way.” In interviews over the years, Fonda said she had been in love with Redford but that nothing came of it because both were married at the time.
Redford acknowledged Fonda’s long-standing affection in later interviews. At a 2018 press tour for Our Souls at Night, he described working with Fonda as easy and said things “just kind of fell into place.” At the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, Fonda said Redford “did not like to kiss” and described him as “always in a bad mood,” comments that she framed as reflections on his private demeanor rather than on his character.
Meryl Streep, who starred opposite Redford in Out of Africa and later worked with him when he directed her in Lions for Lambs, said she developed a “huge crush” during the filming of the 1985 drama. Streep has said the film’s intimate scene in which Redford washes her hair was a turning point; she described the moment as a demonstration of caring and tenderness that helped create the love story on screen. She mourned Redford as a “lovely friend” following his death.
Other actresses who worked with Redford offered brief tributes. Demi Moore, his co-star in Indecent Proposal, said she would “carry the many memories we share close to my heart.” Michelle Pfeiffer, who starred opposite him in Up Close and Personal, wrote simply, “Until we meet again, my friend.”
Redford’s private life included a long first marriage to historian Lola Van Wagenen from 1958 to 1985; the couple had four children, two sons and two daughters, though one son, Scott, died in infancy. He married German artist Sibylle Szaggars in 2009. His career spanned decades on screen and behind the camera, with acting roles in films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men and Out of Africa, and directing credits that included Ordinary People, which won him an Academy Award for best director.
Tributes from colleagues and contemporaries reflected both admiration for Redford’s craft and the warmth of his on-set relationships. Some accounts emphasized the actor’s capacity to listen and to create intimacy in performance, qualities Streep noted as atypical and especially resonant for performers.
Redford’s death revived public attention to his filmography and the personal anecdotes of the actors who shared pivotal scenes with him, underscoring the way his on-screen presence shaped impressions both within Hollywood and among audiences. As tributes continued to arrive, those who had worked with him recalled a combination of professional discipline, private reserve and magnetic charm that left lasting impressions on co-stars and contemporaries alike.
