Leonardo DiCaprio paid tribute to Robert Redford on Tuesday, crediting the late actor and director with helping to shape his environmental advocacy as Hollywood reacted to Redford’s death at 89.
DiCaprio, who appeared with Redford in the 2008 film Body of Lies, spoke on the red carpet at the London premiere of his new movie, One Battle After Another. Asked about Redford, he called him “an absolute legend and an inspiration” and told Deadline that Redford’s environmental and cultural work had influenced him.
“Yes, he was a member of the NRDC,” DiCaprio said, referring to the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group. He noted Redford’s advocacy for indigenous rights, his efforts to protect land in Utah and his role in creating the Sundance Film Festival. DiCaprio also posted an Instagram tribute earlier in the day calling Redford “actor, activist, passionate environmentalist, and champion of the arts.”
Redford died in his sleep at his home in Sundance, Utah, the mountainous region where he founded the annual Sundance Film Festival. Over a career that included performances in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men and The Sting, he also became known for his environmental activism. In 1975, Redford led opposition to a proposed power plant in Utah and later established the Institute for Resource Management to foster compromise on environmental issues. He co-founded the Redford Center, a nonprofit focused on environmental-impact filmmaking, and organized the Sundance Symposium on Global Climate Change.
Hollywood figures reacted swiftly to the news. Director Ron Howard described Redford as an “artistic gamechanger” who helped supercharge America’s independent film movement. Meryl Streep called him “one of the lions” of the industry and expressed personal sorrow. Author Stephen King, actors William Shatner and Colman Domingo, and others posted condolences and tributes on social media, while Marlee Matlin noted that the success of the Academy Award-winning film CODA owed in part to its exposure at Sundance.
U.S. President Donald Trump also commented, telling Reuters that Redford was “great” and that there was a period when “there was nobody better.”
DiCaprio and Redford shared more than screen time; both portrayed Jay Gatsby in film adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Redford in 1974 and DiCaprio in 2013. DiCaprio, who has been a prominent voice on climate change and has called it the most urgent threat to humanity, has at times faced criticism over perceived discrepancies between his advocacy and his personal lifestyle. He did not address those critiques in his comments but emphasized Redford’s long-standing commitment to environmental causes.
Redford’s combination of cinematic achievement and environmental activism shaped his public stature for decades. Colleagues and artists highlighted his role in creating platforms for independent filmmakers and using his profile to advance conservation efforts. As tributes continued to appear across social media and in statements from the film community, many noted that Redford’s institutional legacies — including the Sundance Film Festival and organizations focused on environmental storytelling — are likely to endure.
DiCaprio’s remarks at the London premiere underscored the personal and professional impact Redford had on younger actors and filmmakers while prompting renewed attention to the causes he championed. The industry will next await details about memorial plans and any public commemorations tied to his work in film and environmental advocacy.