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Streisand, who played his lover in The Way We Were, noted: "He's always interesting, he's always interested. He's very smart, very private, he's self-assured, but shy" . Chapter Five: Behind the Camera The Director Emerges Despite his immense success as an actor, Redford had always been interested in the bigger picture. He had a vision for stories that the studio system couldn't or wouldn't tell. In 1980, he made his directorial debut with Ordinary People, a deeply emotional drama about a wealthy suburban family shattered by the death of their son . The film was a gamble. It was a small-scale, character-driven piece about grief and dysfunction—a far cry from the blockbusters of the era. But it was a triumphant success. Ordinary People won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Redford became the first actor to win a Best Director Oscar for his directorial debut . He had gone from being the face of Hollywood to its master architect, proving he could craft a film with the same skill he brought to performing. A Second Act With his reputation as a director secured, Redford continued to act, but now he could pick and choose roles with even greater freedom. He starred in the nostalgic baseball film The Natural (1984) and the epic romance Out of Africa (1985) opposite Meryl Streep, winning Best Picture Oscars for the latter . He directed The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), a quirky and heartfelt story of a small New Mexico community's fight to preserve their way of life . Chapter Six: The Sundance Legacy A Festival is Born In 1981, Redford's small ski resort in Utah, which he had named after his character, hosted a small gathering of filmmakers. He called it the Sundance Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering independent artists . In 1985, the Institute took over the United States Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival was born . Redford had grown disillusioned with Hollywood's commercialism and lack of diversity. He saw Sundance as an alternative—a place where new voices, new perspectives, and new forms of storytelling could flourish. "Had I given in to living in the (Hollywood) system, I don't know that I would be here right now," he reflected . The Indie Revolution The impact of Sundance was seismic. It provided a platform for filmmakers disaffected with the mainstream . Directors like Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, the Coen Brothers, Christopher Nolan, and Paul Thomas Anderson got some of their earliest starts at the festival . It became the launching pad for independent cinema in America. Redford saw it not as a personal vanity project but as his greatest achievement—a living legacy that would outlast him . Chapter Seven: The 1990s and the Modern Era A River Runs Through It As the '90s dawned, Redford directed and starred in A River Runs Through It (1992), a visually stunning adaptation of Norman Maclean's autobiographical novella about two brothers growing up in Montana. It introduced a young Brad Pitt to the world and reaffirmed Redford's status as a filmmaker who could capture the American landscape with the same depth as its characters . He also directed the Oscar-nominated Quiz Show (1994), a period piece about the game show scandals of the 1950s that offered a scathing critique of class and media . The film was a critical darling, praised for its intelligence and acting. Embarking on a New Century In his later years, Redford took on roles that reflected his status as an elder statesman of cinema, while still pushing his own boundaries. He starred in films like Indecent Proposal (1993)