Robert Redford, who died Tuesday at age 89 at his home in Sundance, Utah, shared one of Hollywood’s most enduring friendships with Paul Newman. Their bond began with the 1969 classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, where Newman personally fought for Redford to play the Sundance Kid. The pair reunited in The Sting (1973), and their easy chemistry mirrored their real-life closeness.
Both actors valued craft over celebrity, resisted being defined by their looks, and dedicated themselves to philanthropy—Newman through his food brand and camps for ill children, Redford through environmental causes and independent film. They lived near each other in Connecticut and often exchanged elaborate pranks, including Newman gifting Redford a compacted Porsche.
Redford credited Newman with shaping his career, while Newman said his wife Joanne Woodward first suggested Redford for Butch Cassidy. “Playing friends, we became friends,” Redford once reflected, describing Newman as principled, devoted, and endlessly supportive.
