Hollywood
Robert Redford, Hollywood golden boy and Sundance film festival pioneer, passes on at 89
MUMBAI: Robert Redford, the incandescent star of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and All the President’s Men, has died aged 89. His publicist Cindi Berger said he passed away on 16 September “at Sundance in the mountains of Utah – the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved”.
Redford was far more than a matinee idol. After conquering the 1970s box office with a string of hits, he turned to directing and won a best director Oscar for Ordinary People in 1981. He then rewrote the rules of American cinema by founding the Sundance Institute and the Sundance film festival, which became the crucible of independent film-making and launched the careers of Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh and countless others.
The Sundance Institute, the organisation he nurtured for more than four decades, issued a moving statement that read like a farewell to a guiding spirit. “Our founder, mentor and friend, Robert Redford, has passed away,” wrote acting chief executive Amanda Kelso and founding senior director Michelle Satter. “Bob’s vision launched a movement that, over four decades later, has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema in the US and around the world. The vibrant storytelling landscape we cherish today is unimaginable without his passionate drive and principled leadership.”
The note went on to praise his character as much as his achievements: “Beyond Bob’s enormous contributions to culture at large, we will miss his generosity, clarity of purpose, curiosity, rebellious spirit, and his love for the creative process. We are humbled to be among the stewards of his remarkable legacy, which will continue to guide the institute in perpetuity.”
Redford’s own journey was a Hollywood script in itself. Born Charles Robert Redford Jr in Santa Monica in 1936, he dabbled in art and baseball before studying acting in New York. Early TV work led to Broadway acclaim in Barefoot in the Park and a breakout film role opposite Paul Newman in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. That began a decade of defining performances—Jeremiah Johnson, The Way We Were, The Great Gatsby, Three Days of the Condor—culminating in his dual role as producer and star of All the President’s Men.
His later career was equally varied. He played a weathered baseball hero in The Natural, an adventurous lover in Out of Africa, and delivered a near-silent tour de force in All Is Lost (2013). He even joined the Marvel franchise as the duplicitous Alexander Pierce.
A lifelong environmentalist and liberal voice, Redford campaigned against the Keystone XL pipeline and championed documentaries exposing political and ecological failings. Honours flowed: an honorary Oscar in 2002, a lifetime achievement Golden Lion in Venice in 2017, a César in 2019 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2016.
The Sundance Institute’s tribute captures the consensus on his influence: “Thank you for your participation in our work that carries on Bob’s mission and vision,” the letter concluded. “The vibrant storytelling landscape we cherish today is unimaginable without his passionate drive and principled leadership.”
Redford is survived by his wife Sibylle Szaggars, daughters Shauna Schlosser Redford and Amy Redford, and seven grandchildren—an enduring family legacy to match the cinematic one that bears his name.
Hollywood
Paramount eyes $24bn Gulf support to fund Warner Bros Discovery merger: Reports
Sovereign funds line up funding as media giants chase streaming scale
NEW YORK: Paramount Skydance is in talks to secure nearly $24 billion in equity commitments from Gulf sovereign wealth funds to support its planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a WSJ report.
The funding push comes as Paramount Skydance advances its proposed $110 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, which carries an equity valuation of $81 billion and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.
At the heart of the financing plan are three major Gulf investors. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is expected to contribute roughly $10 billion, while the Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi-based L’imad Holding are likely to make up the remainder.
Crucially, the proposed investments are structured as non-voting stakes. This means the Gulf backers would not have direct control in the combined entity, a move designed to ease regulatory concerns in the United States. Paramount executives reportedly do not expect the deal to trigger scrutiny from bodies such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States or the Federal Communications Commission.
If completed, the merger would bring together a formidable portfolio of entertainment and news assets, including CNN and CBS. The combined entity aims to better compete in a fast-evolving media landscape where streaming platforms are steadily pulling audiences away from traditional television.
The deal reflects a broader shift in global media, where scale is increasingly seen as essential to survive the streaming wars. By pooling content libraries, technology and distribution, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery are betting on size and synergy to drive future growth.
The involvement of deep-pocketed Gulf investors also underscores the growing role of sovereign wealth in shaping global media consolidation, particularly at a time when high-value deals demand equally large financial backing.
With shareholder votes and regulatory milestones still ahead, the proposed tie-up remains one of the most closely watched media deals of the year. If it clears the final hurdles, it could redraw the competitive map of the global entertainment industry.
