{"id":16759,"date":"2025-09-18T09:19:23","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T09:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=16759"},"modified":"2025-09-18T09:19:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T09:19:23","slug":"robert-redford-was-a-proud-father-of-4-kids-what-he-said-about-the-deaths-of-his-2-sons-is-heart-wrenching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=16759","title":{"rendered":"Robert Redford was a proud father of 4 kids: What he said about the deaths of his 2 sons is heart-wrenching"},"content":{"rendered":"

Robert Redford, the legendary actor, acclaimed director, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, wasn\u2019t just a Hollywood icon \u2014 he was a devoted father and husband whose personal life has been marked by both love and tragedy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Oscar-winning actor, director, and Sundance Film Festival founder passed away on September 16 at the age of 89. Over his long career, he left behind a legacy of iconic films, memorable Hollywood performances, and significant philanthropic contributions.<\/p>\n

Outside of his professional life, Redford and his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen, raised four children together: Scott, Shauna, James, and Amy Redford.<\/p>\n

Born Charles Robert Redford Jr. on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, Redford grew into one of the most respected figures in the entertainment world.<\/p>\n

His golden-haired charm and unforgettable performances earned him international fame, while his passion for independent cinema reshaped Hollywood through the Sundance Institute.<\/p>\n

Robert Redford\u2019s first marriage<\/h2>\n

Yet behind the glitz of fame, Redford\u2019s heart belonged to his family.<\/p>\n

Redford\u2019s first marriage was to producer and historian Lola Van Wagenen in 1958, a union that lasted nearly three decades and brought four children into the world.<\/p>\n

Tragedy struck early. Their first child, Scott, was born in 1959 but tragically passed away at just seven weeks old from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).<\/p>\n

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Robert Redford and wife Lola attend the 53rd Academy Awards circa 1981 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bret Lundberg\/IMAGES\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Devastated, Redford sought solace in his craft, keeping the grief private.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow does that show up in my work? I don\u2019t know. I was only 21; my wife was 20. We were just starting our lives; I was just starting my career in New York,\u201d he said at the time \u201cOf course, it was traumatic, and how that plays out over time, I don\u2019t know. We had to deal with it. You have to move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s pretty traumatic when it happens, particularly when you\u2019re that young,\u201d he concluded. \u201cYou\u2019re not equipped to deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, life carried on.<\/p>\n

Shauna Redford<\/h2>\n

In November 1960, the couple welcomed their eldest daughter, Shauna. Though she didn\u2019t follow in her father\u2019s footsteps as an actor, Shauna became a successful painter. She has been married to Eric Schlosser since 1985, and they share two children, Conor and Mica.<\/p>\n

In 2018, Redford spoke about his daughter Shauna while reflecting on the Sundance Institute, the arts nonprofit he founded in 1981 after retiring from acting.<\/p>\n

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Shauna Redford, Amy Redford, and Robert Redford\u00a0\/<\/em>\u00a0Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reflecting on the future, he said Sundance \u201cis going to be in the hands of my children,\u201d referring to the organization that also oversees the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.<\/p>\n

\u201dI\u2019ve been spending a lot of time bringing my children \u2014 Shauna and Amy and Jamie \u2014 into the picture, and now they\u2019re there and they\u2019re in a position to run the show,\u201d he told the Salt Lake Tribune at the time.. \u201dBasically, they\u2019re inheriting what I started, and they\u2019re going to keep it going with my grandchildren.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a 1974 interview with\u00a0The Gazette<\/em>, Lola explained that the Redford home \u2014 at the time a spacious apartment on Upper Gift Avenue in New York \u2014 always centered around the kitchen.<\/p>\n

She enjoyed cooking, as did Shauna and Jamie. But when the kids were alone with their father, Robert, Lola said it was the children who did all the cooking.<\/p>\n

James Redford<\/h2>\n

Redford\u2019s second son, James \u2014 known as Jamie \u2014 was a gifted filmmaker who made his mark producing, directing, and writing award-winning projects including\u00a0The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Married for 35 years to his wife Kyle, James and Kyle had two children, Dylan, who works for The Borscht Corporation, and Lena, who has carved her path in digital storytelling for companies like SuperDeluxe and Illumination Entertainment.<\/p>\n

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Wikipedia Commons<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a 2016 interview with HollywoodChicago.com, Redford\u2019s son Jamie reflected on the ups and downs of growing up with a famous father.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere can be no argument that I\u2019m in a unique situation, at the very least,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cBut I think the name, for every time it has proved to be helpful, it has also proved to be a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, the task I have is just like anyone else, to prove myself through my product or work,\u201d Jamie added. \u201cI\u2019ve really found this to be true, that it\u2019s a zero-sum game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amy Redford<\/h2>\n

Like her famous father, Amy went on to build a career in the entertainment industry as an actress, producer, and director. She has appeared in films such as\u00a0Hate Crime<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Candybar<\/em>. Today, she lives with her partner, theater director Matt August, and together they share a daughter, Eden August.<\/p>\n

Amy has long credited her father as an early inspiration. Speaking with\u00a0IndieWire<\/em>\u00a0in 2008, she recalled what drew her to filmmaking:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a kid, I witnessed the process of my dad making films and the extraordinary cast of characters that came together to make it happen,\u201d she said. \u201cI found myself drawn to the nomadic and creative life that that implied. \u2026 What led me to actually having the opportunity to do it was a combination of luck, timing and stubbornness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, Amy has worked behind the camera directing feature films, television episodes, and music videos, including\u00a0The Guitar<\/em>\u00a0in 2008 and Jeff Buckley\u2019s\u00a0Everyday People<\/em>\u00a0in 2016. She also spoke to\u00a0HuffPost<\/em>\u00a0in 2008 about the importance of amplifying women\u2019s voices in a male-dominated industry.<\/p>\n

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PARK CITY, UTAH \u2013 JANUARY 24: Amy Redford attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Gala Fundraiser during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Grand Hyatt Deer Valley on January 24, 2025 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Isaiah Trickey\/FilmMagic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s easier for women to submerge their voice. I think that women innately have wonderful things to say but to accommodate others it\u2019s easier for us to put our own voice aside,\u201d she said. \u201cEven the loudest women are loud for a reason because they can\u2019t be heard. I just had a daughter two months ago and I hope that whatever I do has a positive influence on her chances of not having to fight so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amy\u2019s personal life has also been in the public eye. According to\u00a0The New York Times<\/em>, she was married to Scottish photographer Mark Mann from 2000 to 2004. Four years later, in 2008, she married Matt August just six weeks before the birth of their first child.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was actually easier to figure out when to direct a movie and have a baby than it was to figure out when to get married,\u201d she joked to\u00a0Observer<\/em>. The pair went on to have twins before eventually divorcing, a topic Amy reflected on in a 2022 interview with\u00a0Ageist<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When asked about raising children on her own, she explained: \u201cI would say there\u2019s sort of a cost and benefit in many ways. It\u2019s very easy to kind of point the finger at the other person that\u2019s staring across the kitchen table from you when you\u2019re doing parenting in the same house. And when you\u2019re not, you have to take a lot more responsibility for the culture of your home in a way that\u2019s pretty autonomous. And it\u2019s made me have to look at some of my own instincts in a different light.\u201d<\/p>\n

James\u2019 passing<\/h2>\n

In 2020, Redford\u2019s beloved son James passed away. Jamie had battled a rare liver disease since childhood, surviving two transplants, only to be struck down years later by liver cancer.<\/p>\n

Friends and family asked for privacy during this deeply painful time, while colleagues and admirers flooded social media with messages of support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe grief is immeasurable with the loss of a child,\u201d a family representative said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJamie was a loving son, husband, and father. His legacy lives on through his children, art, filmmaking, and devoted passion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Died in Utah<\/h2>\n

Redford and Van Wagenen never made a public announcement about separating or divorcing, but in 1982, entertainment columnist Shirley Eder noted that the couple \u201chave been very much apart for a number of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

By 1991, Parade magazine reported that \u201cit is unclear whether the divorce has been finalized.\u201d Despite this, many sources list their divorce as having occurred in 1985.<\/p>\n

Redford eventually wed his longtime companion, Sibylle Szaggars, in 2009 during a ceremony at the Louis C. Jacob Hotel in Hamburg, Germany. She had been living with him since 1996, sharing his residence in Sundance, Utah.<\/p>\n

It was also there, in Sundance, that Redford passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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