Barbra Streisand Remembers Robert Redford as “Intelligent, Intense” and “One of the Finest Actors Ever”

Barbra Streisand has honored her longtime friend and celebrated co-star Robert Redford after the actor’s death at 89 on September 16, 2025. Within hours of a statement from Redford’s publicist confirming he passed away at his home in Sundance, Utah, Streisand shared a black-and-white photograph of the pair from around 1973 on
Instagram, recalling their time together on the set of The Way We Were.

In her caption Streisand described the production as “exciting, intense and pure joy,” and reflected on the unusual but electric rapport they developed while making the film. She noted their personal differences — “He came from the world of horses; I was allergic to them” — yet emphasized how those contrasts deepened both their curiosity about one another and their on-screen chemistry.

Streisand added that Redford was “charismatic, intelligent, intense” and called him “one of the finest actors ever,” and she shared a recent memory of exchanging drawings after a lunch they had together. “He was one of a kind,” she wrote, expressing gratitude for having worked alongside him.

The Way We Were, directed by Sydney Pollack and released in 1973, remains one of the most enduring films in both performers’ careers. Streisand portrayed Katie Morosky opposite Redford’s Hubbell Gardiner; Streisand’s rendition of the film’s title song also earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

In her 2023 memoir My Name Is Barbra, Streisand remembered the pair’s rapport and quoted Redford explaining why their partnership resonated with audiences: he suggested their dynamic brought out complementary qualities in one another — a balance of vulnerability and strength that translated on screen. An excerpt of that passage was reported by
People.

Redford’s publicist, Cindi Berger, said he died “at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah — the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved,” and noted that the family has requested privacy.

Beyond his iconic performances in films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men, Redford’s contributions included acclaimed directing (he won the Academy Award for Best Director for Ordinary People in 1980), longtime environmental advocacy, and a distinguished legacy in American cinema. He won multiple Golden Globe awards over the course of his career.

He is survived by his wife, artist Sibylle Szaggars Redford, his daughters Shauna Redford Schlosser and Amy Redford, and seven grandchildren.

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