Robert Redford died today at the age of 89.

Thinking about the man and his work, I had a curious realization that we’d taken him for granted.

It’s not hard to understand why. Redford’s career spanned more than six decades; he’s been a presence in our lives for decades. It’s more than that, though. Redford made it all look easy, moving from strength to strength, consolidating his power as an actor, director, producer, impresario, and environmentalist. He was perfectly cast as Jay Gatsby (in an imperfect film), the staggeringly-handsome embodiment of luxurious style and easy grace. 

But, like Gatsby, Redford wasn’t born to wealth; his social poise and understated elegance were acquired through constant work and application.

Born and mostly raised in southern California, Redford suffered from what is described as a “mild” case of polio at the age of eleven. An indifferent spell in college was followed by the scuffling life of a young actor in New York City, where he trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and found work on stage and television. The latter half of the 1960s witnessed his growing popularity; by the early seventies he was a bona fide superstar, thanks to films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Candidate (1972), The Way We Were (1973), The Sting (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and All the President’s Men (1976).

If we took him granted, we also – for a while, at least – underrated him. Redford was, in a word, beautiful, and those who possess beauty are often thought to have nothing behind those good looks. Redford’s progression from actor to director/producer belied those assumptions. Ordinary People (1980), his directorial debut, was a critical success and a huge box-office success, and Redford followed it with a string of intelligent, well-crafted movies such The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), A River Runs Through It (1992), and Quiz Show (1994).

His most lasting contribution to the industry is the founding of the Sundance Institute in 1981. A non-profit organization, Sundance fosters cinematic creativity by providing a platform for independent films and a variety of development programs for their makers. It’s played an enormous role in supporting – and expanding – American independent film. Its growing reputation and commercial significance led to vibrant Sundance festivals in Hong Kong, Taipei, Mexico City, Chicago, and Jakarta, bringing independent global cinema to diverse audiences.

And spawned any number of smaller rival festivals – who felt Sundance had become the mainstream – that aim to provide an “alternative to the alternative.” Slamdance, TromaDance, BlackStar Film Festival, RestFest, and Slamdance Unstoppable: On The Road continue to support emerging voices and creative storytelling around the world.

Redford’s final leading role was in 2018’s The Old Man and the Gun. His last on-screen appearance was in one of Marvel’s comic book films, Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Going to the movies now mostly means streaming content on a screen not much larger than a credit card. Redford grew up and excelled in a film industry that’s a thing of the past. It’s tempting to say that Robert Redford was truly the Last Movie Star.

It might even be true.