Robert Redford, the legendary actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Film Institute, passed away at the age of 89 on Tuesday in Utah.

Redford was one of those old iconic actors who made a name for himself in both the Western and Political genres in the 60s and 70s. Some of his most iconic films include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (for which the Sundance Film Fest is named after), All the President’s Men, The Sting, The Candidate, Out of Africa, A River Runs Through It, and Jeremiah Johnson, the latter of which you may know best as that iconic meme these days. His last on-screen appearance was in Avengers: Endgame in 2019, reprising his role of Alexander Pierce in a cameo.

Redford would make the transition from actor to director in 1980 with Ordinary People, which would earn him a Best Director statue at the Oscars.

He would move to Utah and buy a ski area, which would ultimately be named “Sundance”. The moniker would ultimately be what the Utah/US Film Festival would be rebranded with in 1984. The festival is now one of the largest indie film fests in the world. The host of the festival, Redford’s own non-profit, The Sundance Institute, is mainly focused on helping promote and grow upcoming indie artists. Despite being an acclaimed actor and filmmaker, his influence and impact on helping indie filmmaking are likely his lasting legacy.

He was also a staunch activist, championing the arts, as well as indigenous and LGBTQ rights. He was a big environmentalist as well. His efforts will be missed, but not forgotten.