The godfather of indie movies

Robert Redford, the quintessentially handsome leading man who starred in acclaimed movies, won an Academy Award asa director and was hailed as the “godfather of indie films” for founding the Sundance Film Festival, has died. He was 89.

- PATRICK OSTER &LAURENCE ARNOLD

The New York Times reported his death, citing a statement by Cindi Berger, the chief executive of the publicity firm Rogers & Cowan PMK. She said he died in his sleep in Utah.

Redford’s portrayals of heroic or romantic characters drove hit movies through six decades starting in the 1960s. They included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973) — in which he shared the screen with his longtime friend Paul Newman — plus All the President’s Men (1976) and The Natural (1984).