Colorado film community, governor remember Robert Redford: "revolutionizing Hollywood, advocating for our planet"

Colorado's film community and the Boulder community are remembering Robert Redford on the day of his passing. The legendary actor and filmmaker founded the Sundance Film Festival, which is moving to Boulder in 2027, and attended the University of Colorado Boulder campus in the 1950s.

"I am grateful to the Boulder community for its support, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the festival there," Redford said earlier this year of the Sundance festival's move from Utah to Colorado.

CU Boulder called Redford "a Forever Buff who inspired generations worldwide." He attended CU Boulder from fall 1954 to spring 1956 and received an honorary doctorate degree three decades later.

While attending CU Boulder, Redford worked at the popular burger joint, The Sink, which said on social media, "We lost a legend. Farewell Robert Redford. You will always hold a special place in The Sink's story," along with a photo of Redford in a "The Sink" shirt and a drawing of him on one of the restaurant's walls.

Redford only attended CU Boulder for about a year and a half. In 1987, he told the Associated Press he attended the school to play baseball but got caught up in the party atmosphere of the campus.

"I wasn't ready to be a student," he said at the time. CU was definitely known as a party school. The temptations were great."

He was there to receive an honorary doctorate degree from the school at the time, "in recognition of his cultural impact, environmental advocacy and ties to Boulder," the school said in a statement on Tuesday.

"His connection to CU continued through two of his children who are also alumni, Shauna Redford Schlosser and the late James Redford, and through the forthcoming move of the Sundance Institute and Film Festival to Boulder in 2027," the school said.

Skinner Myers, assistant professor and associate chair for undergraduate studies at CU Boulder's Cinema Studies Department, says Redford's impact on filmmaking, particularly on movies set in scenic outdoor spaces, can't be overstated.

"Back in the day, a lot of films were shot in studios," he said. "Robert, with his early work, really brought in these natural landscapes with his earlier films, and it really inspired people to say, 'oh, we can shoot on location versus shooting in a studio, we can bring the environment into it and make it a location.'"

He said Redford's use of real-life settings helped inspire filmmakers such as John Cassavetes to explore and take advantage of the environment to help set scenes.

"A lot of students, including myself, really appreciated the work that he did and kind of gave us permission to use your environment and use your locations to make your films."

In addition to starring in iconic films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which was partially filmed in southwestern Colorado, All the President's Men, Jeremiah Johnson, and The Sting, Redford was an outspoken advocate for environmental and social justice causes, including indigenous people's rights and LGBTQ rights.

Redford also campaigned on behalf of several political candidates in Colorado. That included a stop in Aurora to campaign for former President Barack Obama in 2008. He also helped campaign for former Colorado Attorney General and Sen. Ken Salazar and former Colorado Attorney General and Sen. Tom Strickland.

"He really used his fame for good, which, I don't know if we see that a lot these days," Myers said. "We need more people like Robert Redford not only in filmmaking, but also in our everyday life in terms of political activism, and I think he really set a model for how to live that out, and more people need to pay closer attention to his life and legacy."

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also thanked Redford for his contribution to film and the environment in a statement on Tuesday.

"Robert Redford was always ahead of his time, pushing film and arts forward, revolutionizing Hollywood, advocating for our planet, and bringing joy to many," Polis said. "Redford was passionately committed to film, and his career in front of the camera and behind it having left a mark on all of us. He knew that film has the power to inspire, and he not only achieved great fame as an actor, but used that power for good, supporting other artists and filmmakers, including founding the Sundance Film Festival which Colorado is proud to welcome in 2027. Robert had deep ties to Colorado, including his attendance at CU Boulder and job at The Sink. He will be missed, but his contributions will be felt for years to come and his legacy will live on."

The CEO of Redford's publicity firm confirmed his death on Tuesday. He died in his Utah mountain home surrounded by family. He was 89.