BLACKFOOT, Idaho — When Cary Jones, of Blackfoot, Idaho, heard the news of Robert Redford’s passing, a flood of memories came rushing back. Few people can say they spent time with the Hollywood icon, but Jones had that rare opportunity in the late 1970s and early 1980s, getting to know the genuine man beyond the movie star persona.
Redford, dubbed the “Hollywood golden boy” who also became an Oscar-winning director, environmental activist, and godfather of independent cinema, died on Sept. 16 at the age of 89. He died in his sleep at his home in Sundance, Utah, according to his publicist, Cindi Berger. No cause of death has been disclosed.
“I have bittersweet emotions as I reflect on his passing, remembering the memorable moments while feeling the sorrow over the end of his remarkable life,” said Jones. “I got to know him as a real person — a private, quiet, down-to-earth man, a lover of nature, and an advocate for the causes he believed in.”
Jones first met Redford in 1978 during a float trip through the Birds of Prey National Conservation Area on the Snake River. At the time, Jones was in his mid-20s and working for Idaho Gov. John Evans as special assistant for natural resources. They were joined by the late Cecil D. Andrus, a four-term Idaho governor who was then serving as U.S. Secretary of the Interior and a friend of Redford’s.
The connection continued in 1982 when Jones was one of just 10 people selected nationwide for a graduate fellowship at the Institute for Resource Management, an organization founded by Redford. Here, Jones got to know who Redford was and better understand his commitment to the environment and the country’s natural resources.
During that time, Jones had several overnight stays at Redford’s Sundance Resort and even went on a field trip with Redford and world-renowned anthropologist Richard Leakey to an archaeological site on the Snake River.
Jones recalled that Redford’s bus caught fire while traveling through southeastern Washington state during that archaeological field trip — an incident that drew national media attention. Redford and 50 others escaped the bus, walking to nearby homes to call for help.
Jones fondly remembers one moment in particular: When Redford knocked on a woman’s door, she was astonished to find the movie star standing at her door, saying, “His bus was on fire.”
“His (Redford’s) personal life was the opposite of his Hollywood life. We never talked about his life as a movie star. It was always about the issues at hand that were near and dear to his heart,” said Jones. “I got the feeling that he was much more comfortable in his blue jeans looking at a mountain peak than he was in Hollywood.”
Redford leaves behind a movie legacy of over 50 films, including starring roles in classic films like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Sting,” “The Great Gatsby,” “The Way We Were,” and “All the President’s Men.” He won a best director Oscar for “Ordinary People” and spent decades promoting independent cinema through the Sundance Film Festival, in addition to his work as an activist.
Jones said his favorite Redford films are “The Sting,” “Jeremiah Johnson,” and “All the President’s Men.”
“The world has lost an extraordinary actor, director, artist and visionary — a trailblazer, a dedicated conservationist, and the founder of the Sundance Institute and Film Festival,” Jones said. “His legacy and influence will live on forever in so many ways. I feel incredibly fortunate to have known Robert Redford and to have spent time with him for two years in the 1980s.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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