By Allison Schaller,Hillary Busis

Copyright vanityfair

From his humble beginnings on the small screen to Butch Cassidy, The Way We Were, winning a best-director Oscar, and launching the Sundance Film Festival. +++dropcap
No other star was quite like Robert Redford—an arresting screen presence, of course, but also a skilled director, activist, and champion of independent film, particularly via his brainchild, the Sundance Film Festival. “I can’t stop crying,” his four-time costar Jane Fonda said in a statement, after Redford’s death was announced Tuesday morning. “He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way. He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.” Redford was 89 years old.