Robert Redford, who died at age 89 at his home in Utah on Tuesday, served as a mentor to Brad Pitt after casting the then-unknown actor in the 1992 drama A River Runs Through It. The relationship that began on that film evolved into a long-running professional and personal bond that included a later on-screen reunion and regular appearances by Pitt at Redford’s Sundance Film Festival.
Redford hand-picked Pitt for the role of Paul Maclean in A River Runs Through It, the biographical film Redford directed. Redford later said he saw in Pitt the makings of a star, telling reporters, "Brad had that. When he first came in, he had a look about him. I said, 'Yeah, you're looking at it. He's going to succeed.'" Pitt was in his early 20s at the time and the film marked his first major motion-picture role.
The two men reunited on screen in the 2001 spy thriller Spy Game, directed by Tony Scott. In that film Redford played a veteran CIA operative on the brink of retirement, Nathan Muir, while Pitt portrayed his protégé, Tom Bishop, who is arrested overseas on charges of espionage. The film highlighted a mentor-protégé dynamic that critics and viewers likened to a father-and-son relationship, amplified by the actors’ similar looks and on-screen chemistry.
Pitt, now 61, has acknowledged Redford’s influence on his acting approach and career choices. Observers and colleagues have noted that Pitt has, at times, followed a career path similar to Redford’s: moving between acting and producing and supporting a range of film projects. Pitt has produced and starred in mainstream and mid-budget films, including The Lost City and Bullet Train, and has been a recurring presence at the Sundance Film Festival, which is run by the Sundance Institute Redford founded.
Redford’s role as a mentor was part of a broader pattern in his career. Beyond his work as an actor and director, he established the Sundance Institute, which runs the Sundance Film Festival and supports independent filmmakers. His advocacy for new talent and hands-on involvement with young actors and filmmakers were widely noted during his lifetime.
Those who worked with Redford cited both his eye for talent and his emphasis on craft. In remarks about Pitt, Redford emphasized that the younger actor’s success stemmed from more than appearance, calling him "special, smart, talented, hard-worker and humble." The two men remained close in the years after their first collaboration, with Pitt appearing at Sundance and maintaining a public rapport with Redford.
Redford’s death closes a chapter in Hollywood history defined by his work in front of and behind the camera and his efforts to create institutions that nurture filmmakers. His mentorship of actors such as Pitt is part of his lasting legacy in the industry, reflected in the careers of those he supported and in institutions he built to foster new talent.