Hollywood legend Robert Redford passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday morning at his Utah residence, according to an announcement from Cindi Berger, chief executive of Rogers & Cowan PMK publicity firm. The actor and filmmaker was 89 years old.

The New York Times first reported the news, though Berger did not specify the exact cause of death beyond confirming he died while sleeping.

Redford’s death marks the end of an extraordinary six-decade career that saw him evolve from a charismatic leading man into an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and pioneering force in American independent cinema through his creation of the Sundance Institute and Film Festival.

The versatile performer secured two Academy Awards during his illustrious career, claiming the directing prize for the 1980 family drama Ordinary People and receiving an honorary award in 2002.

He also collected three Golden Globe Awards, including the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement honour in 1994.

His most memorable performances included playing the sharpshooting outlaw in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid alongside Paul Newman, and portraying Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward in the Watergate thriller All the President’s Men.

Beyond acting, Redford revolutionised American cinema by establishing the Sundance Institute in 1981, which sponsors the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

The festival became instrumental in launching careers of filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh whilst championing independent productions outside Hollywood’s mainstream system.

Born Charles Robert Redford Jr. on 18th August 1936 in Santa Monica, California, the future star was raised by his mother Martha Hart and father Charles Robert Redford Sr., who worked as a milkman before becoming an accountant for an oil company.

After graduating from Van Nuys High School in 1954, he briefly studied at the University of Colorado Boulder before travelling through Europe and eventually settling in New York City to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

His 1969 portrayal of the Sundance Kid opposite Paul Newman’s Butch Cassidy transformed him into a major Hollywood star. The duo reunited for the 1973 con-artist film “The Sting”, which earned Redford his sole acting Oscar nomination.

The Sundance Film Festival evolved into a crucial platform for independent cinema, helping launch films including “sex, lies and videotape”, “Reservoir Dogs”, “Clerks” and “Little Miss Sunshine”. The festival transformed from a modest showcase into a major industry event attracting distributors, agents and talent scouts annually.

Redford continued performing into his eighties, earning critical acclaim for his nearly silent role in 2013’s “All Is Lost” and appearing in Marvel films as government operative Alexander Pierce. His final performance came in 2018’s “The Old Man & the Gun”.

President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, praising how Americans “admire Bob not just for his remarkable acting, but for having figured out what to do next.”

He leaves behind his wife Sibylle Szaggars and two children from his previous marriage to Lola Van Wagenen.