Trivia of Robert Redford

Trivia of Robert Redford (18 August 1936)

*He was bullied as a kid.He told his story "I was a freckle-faced, kind of redheaded kid that people made fun of because my hair had so many cowlicks."A local gang called the Pachucks continuously pick on him, leading to one scary incident on a rooftop. As Redford remembered, the gang wanted him to prove he was a man and dared him to jump from the roof — which he did, nearly dying in the process.He became the part of gang and started their own gang, the Barons — essentially a front for various illegal activities such as theft and breaking and entering.

*On high school, he had displayed a certain aptitude as a caricaturist and this contributed to his decision to seriously study art. Redford then enjoyed a year-long sojourn travelling around Europe, hitchhiking, living in youth hostels and generally living the painter's life. Eventually, he came to realise that his work was unoriginal and not very good. He therefore returned to New York to pursue studies in theatrical design at the Pratt Institute of Art. He subsequently enrolled in acting classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

*His Broadway debut was in a small role in Tall Story (1959) and screen debut in the same title Tall Story a year later.The film is also Jane Fonda's debut .Redford was uncredited.

*He actually had a substantial TV career in the early-to-mid 1960s before famous as a movie star. He was a guest on such TV series as “The Untouchables,” “Perry Mason,” “The Twilight Zone” and many others.Redford even was nominated for an Emmy as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the “The Voice of Charlie Pont” in 1962.

*He was particularly close to Natalie Wood.Redford revealed that he first met famous Natalie Wood in high school, where he was one of the teens in charge of moderating the entrance of late students attending assemblies. One day, when Wood was late, it was Redford who wouldn't let her into the auditorium. "She begs, but I won't budge, so she storms off," he explains, noting that he didn't have a clue who she was.Years later, when Redford himself was climbing the A-list actor, he ran into his former schoolmate again when they starred together in film "Inside Daisy Clover (1965)".The two hit it off.For one scene in that film , Wood and Redford had to shoot on a boat off the Santa Monica pier, where, at one point, thanks to some heavy winds, the two stars got stranded at sea. Wood, who was famously afraid of the water, was visibly upset, so her co-star took it upon himself to ease the tension. From that moment, they became lifelong friends until Wood's untimely passing in 1981.

*Robert Redford achieved his breakthrough role when he starred alongside Paul Newman in the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)". On the set, Redford had so much fun with Newman that he's been quoted as saying that he felt guilty for taking money for his work due to how fantastic the entire experience was.That's a beginning of strong personal friendship between Redford and Newman.In 1973, Redford was given the script for “The Sting.” Redford wanted to partner with Newman for the film, but Newman’s films hadn’t been doing well at the box office so the studio was reluctant.This time, Redford insisted that the studio hire Newman, and the film went on to become a commercial and critical success.

*In 1980, at the height of his acting career, Redford began directing films. He continued to act as well. His first directing feature was “Ordinary People,” which won him an Oscar for Best Director in 1981.He has directed 10 films, including “Ordinary People,” “The Milagro Beanfield War,” “A River Runs Through It” and “Quiz Show.” Inspired by how Newman had once lifted up Redford’s career, Redford picked a-then-almost-unknown Brad Pitt for his third film as a director: “A River Runs Through It,” helping launch Pitt’s career.