On social media, Marvel fans praised the star’s commanding screen presence and ability to elevate every scene.
They were also known for a remarkable career that stretched far beyond the superhero genre.
On social media, Marvel fans praised the star’s commanding screen presence and ability to elevate every scene.
Born Charles Robert Redford Jr in Los Angeles in 1936, he studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts after leaving the University of Colorado.
Following early stage and TV work, he broke through on Broadway in Barefoot in the Park before achieving film stardom in the late 1960s.
His on-screen partnership with Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973) cemented him as one of the defining stars of the 1970s. Other major roles included The Way We Were (1973), The Great Gatsby (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and All the President’s Men (1976).
Redford turned to directing in 1980 with Ordinary People, which won four Oscars, including best picture and best director. His later directing credits included A River Runs Through It (1992) and Quiz Show (1994).
In 1984, he co-founded the Sundance film festival, a showcase for American independent cinema and helping launch the careers of Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, and others.
Redford also built a reputation as a committed environmentalist and progressive activist, serving as a trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council and opposing the Keystone XL pipeline.
Later acting highlights included Out of Africa (1985), The Natural (1984), All Is Lost (2013), and his final major role in The Old Man & the Gun (2018). He also appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Alexander Pierce.
In his later career, Robert Redford surprised audiences by stepping into the world of superhero cinema, joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Alexander Pierce in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). Playing a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. official who is ultimately revealed as a Hydra leader, Redford brought gravitas and nuance to the role, embodying the calm menace of a man wielding power from behind the scenes. He reprised the character briefly in Avengers: Endgame (2019), marking one of his final screen appearances.