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Robert Redford: The Biography

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When I began reading this pre-publication biography of Robert Redford, I thought I would be learning about a laid-back guy from California who fell into acting via the gift of his good looks combined with perfect timing. Not so. His life totally surprised me. I know he is a conservationist with liberal political leanings, but I was not aware of the layers of this man's ambition and intellect.

Brought up without money by a wonderful, supportive mother and a critical father, Redford (Bob) was a rebellious child and teen-ager who was constantly aspiring to find what would make him happy. Michael Feeny Callan organizes fourteen years of interviews with Redford, his friends and associates to disclose the essence of the man. He also had access to Redford's personal journals and diaries which gives the reader both sides of this man. He gives equal credence to the golden boy of Hollywood, his political activism for the environment and founder of the independent film Mecca Sundance, a magnificent tract of land located in Utah. Redford has been obsessed with the wilderness, it has brought him peace, solace and helped him transform the landscape of film making.

Redford comes across as a restless egotist. He worked himself beyond fatigue and his stubbornness was uncompromising. He surprised many directors and fellow actors with his demands regarding his characters in movies and plays. What looked so easy for him on stage and film was the product of endless study and overwhelming analysis of the character in the movie or play.

It is surprising that Redford is somewhat of a tyrant. He is an autodidact, a self-taught intellectual, who challenges himself and anyone who will not allow him to proceed as he envisions. I am sure not too many fans know that he is an artist, a painter first before an actor. With his unending talent and ambition, his creativity embraced him as young boy to present day.

There were facets of Redford that were revelatory; his obstinacy gave rise to an autocratic man in all aspects in his life. On the other side, he has not been credited for shaping such memorable movies as The Candidate and All the President's Men. He is brilliant and does not give in. His ability to tough life through appears to be his credo for parenting. He does not appear to be an overly-sympathetic husband or father. There is little revealed in this book about Lola, a Mormon and his first wife; I felt she was short-changed. I also was rather shocked that neither parent sought to investigate their son's illness from childhood. Labeled irritable bowel syndrome, the parents seemed to "let him work it out." Jamie, instead, looked for all types of cures and later discovered he had ulcerative colitis which had been untreated. Later, Jamie was diagnosed with end-term liver disease with a transplant his only hope for survival. After two transplants, Jamie experienced wellness and has a portfolio of educational and artistic accomplishments.

Callan's fourteen years of research and study is evident in this biography. He technically is brilliant as he meshes the chronology of Redford's life with solid interviews and most of all, we hear Redford's voice through his interviews and diaries. Redford's personal and professional relationship with Sydney Pollack serves as a virtual backdrop for the vicissitudes of Redford's life. Callan's writing elevated Redford on an intellectual level, and I recommend the book. Unfortunately, my uncorrected proof did not contain photographs, which certainly would have enhanced my reading!

My wife saw the book on the kitchen counter and summed up the Redford Problem. "Isn't that a book for women?" But the Redford life and film canon are more complex, and his Irish biographer, Michael Feeney Callan, has devoted ten years of his writing life to proving it. Here's the result: a bio of a conflicted, sometimes agonized man in the throes of a two-level career: swoon-worthy matinee idol and golden boy on one hand, deadly serious, reclusive cineaste -- serious to the point of ponderous -- on the other.

Callan chronicles Redford's path to becoming the biggest movie star in the world through "Butch Cassidy," "Jeremiah Johnson," "The Way We Were," "The Sting," and misconceived bombs like "Waldo Pepper" and "The Great Gatsby." Redford is immediately uncomfortable with popcorn-movie success and cultivates a second persona through the Sundance Institute and as director of grave and chilly work like "Ordinary People." He is depicted as earnest and professional but terminally indecisive, easily distracted, uncommunicative, and incapable of keeping a schedule -- a hard guy to work with, as Callan himself found out. (We get the impression this book would have been completed years ago if Redford hadn't kept backing out of meetings.) The depiction is detailed and engrossing, but the reasons for all this conflict ultimately elude Callan, and us.

By the '80s, aging, Redford can no longer play cute-guy roles but essays popular junk ("Legal Eagles," "Up Close and Personal") in order to subsidize unpopular art ("The Milagro Beanfield War"). His highest-grossing movie ever, apparently, was the supremely junky "Indecent Proposal," and most of his more heartfelt personal projects in the last decade or so must be classified as noble failures.

Redford's acting is reassessed kindly here and assigned more power and texture from this latter-day perspective (although it must be said that unlike his generational peers DeNiro, Pacino and Nicholson, alongside whom Redford seems to exist in a separate universe, he rarely if ever allowed himself to look unattractive onscreen). One special joy of the book is its discussion of the dozens of Robert Redford movies that never got made; the indecisive Redford toyed with a "Phantom of the Opera" movie, the "Outbreak" virus movie that Dustin Hoffman eventually did, and -- most poignantly -- planned a reunion with Paul Newman in an adaptation of Bill Bryson's Appalachian Trail book, "A Walk in the Woods," until Newman's death in 2009.

Those who imagine screen idols as rich beyond belief will be interested to learn that despite decades of crazy paydays, by 2000 or so Redford was so overextended by Sundance, various mortgages, and other ventures, he was urged to declare bankruptcy.

If anything the book may be a little too overstuffed and prone to digression. Callan states he set out to talk to anyone who ever worked with or knew Redford, with fair success. (Some of his best interviews, like Sydney Pollack and Newman, died during the book's long gestation term.) Redford's instinct was to cooperate with Callan and instruct his friends to do so, and it's a good one; Callan is exhaustive and fair. His book does not ultimately explain Redford's discomfort with the film business and himself, but it scrapes off the pretty-boy label well enough. It will go a long way to repositioning him as a major artist and cultural figure like DeNiro, Pacino, Nicholson, and the top American actors of his generation.

I have found stars interesting my entire life. They are different from the rest of us, and we never really get to know them because we only see what is exposed to the rest of us. Their human element is never displayed except when they have issues with the law, or divorce, or just outrageously bad behavior. Robert Redford has managed to go an entire lifetime without having to sacrifice himself or his individuality to the fame system that is indigenous to anyone who is part of Hollywood, let alone a member of the A-List.


All actors are by definition what I call strays. I manage money for a living for very famous people as well as governments and finance ministers. Actors are simply people who must act. They really have no other choice. They are compelled to do what they do, and in what they do there is tremendous distress for they do not know where their next job is coming from, or if one is coming at all. This is the world that Redford has occupied and exulted in for probably 50 plus years. What is unique is that he has managed to maintain an aloofness from Hollywood which is unheard of for a star of his magnitude. He embraces Hollywood when he must and then just as rapidly detaches himself once again, being one of those few actors who can maintain his own center in the face of such fame, and adulation.


I have been waiting more than 20 years for someone to do a fabulous biography of this screen legend and I for one believe that author Michael Callan has successfully pierced the veil that Redford has maintained all these years. We see the man, the heart, we feel the passion and in doing this Callan has done us the reader and Redford a great service. Yes there are things that the actor will still not talk about in detail, but after scores of interviews with him, Callan I believe has taken out the essence of the man and revealed him to us both good and bad.


I have always believed that no matter how famous the man or woman, there is always somebody behind that person who acted as a mentor. In the case of Redford, renowned director Sidney Pollack was that person who guided him throughout an extraordinary career. Pollack even directed Redford in several movies including Out of Africa, Havana, and Three Days of the Condor. I found three chapters in this book to be especially illuminating towards Redford's career and place in cinema. They are:


Chapter 6) At the Academy

Chapter 13) Two and a Half Careers

chapter 18) Sundance


It is true that the big turning points in the life of a person can only be known looking back. For Redford it is clear that the time spent in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah possess an undying influence on his soul and his career that permeated throughout his life. His purchase there of the several thousand acres of property for pennies on the acre that subsequently became the basis of his Sundance Institute has created an influence that will last for decades beyond the filmmaker's own mortality.


In 1956 penniless, he slept on the beach in front of the Carlton Hotel in Southern France, and yet, even then, the man looked like he owned the place. The renowned psychoanalyst Carl Jung said that the truth is only available from the consent of many voices, and in the case of Redford, that is especially true. The author had to go through hell to get this book done. Redford has earned the scorn of many directors throughout his career because of his notorious habit of being late. The star was indeed late for most of the interviews that he granted Callan.


Just as there is always a mentor, there is always a breakthrough project or movie, or book. It is that which sets the tone for what is to come, and certainly for Redford that had to be Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The creation of the movie and its subsequent impact on the star's career is thoroughly chronicled in the book. Those of us old enough to remember seeing the film in the theater are well aware of its first visual impact on our senses. You watch initially as Paul Newman opens the film and we already are aware of the star qualities and exceeding good looks that Newman possesses, but then immediately we realize that Robert Redford is stealing the movie away from the Hollywood legend Newman. Redford had devastating screen presence that very few ever possessed.



CONCLUSION:


I loved this book, and it was worth the 20 years that I have waited for will become the definitive biography of Robert Redford's life. A life still in the making by the way. I thank you for reading this review and will leave you with this story. For many years Redford maintained a home in Westport CT where I live along with a few prominent people including Paul Newman for 40 years until his death. Back in the 1990's Redford was down at the beach trying to get in, so he could spend an afternoon boating with Paul Newman who kept a small boat in the water by the beach. Redford never carried money ($25 to park) and did not have a required beach sticker to get in to park.


He tells the young attendant at the gate, I need to get in to park in order to go boating with Paul Newman. The kid responds I don't know who you are buddy. Redford retort's "I'm the Sundance Kid". The attendant a teenager, tells Redford, "Listen I never heard of you, but I will tell you this, if you were Bon Jovi, I'd let you right in here." An older supervising attendant came over and was kind enough to give Redford temporary pass. What a guy, and it was a great laugh, but that's Redford.


Richard C. Stoyeck

I'm not exactly a fan in that over-the-top sense, but it would be difficult to deny that I have liked Redford's film performances. It is amazing that a really nice looking man can also act (and act well). However, the real draw for me is the movies he's directed. He manages to dig deep for thoughtful material and executes it to a point of sheer perfection.
This book was extremely enjoyable on several levels, but the main one is that it gives a personal view of someone who has lived his life in the public eye but who remains elusive and reclusive to the public. From a biographical point of view this book abounds with personal information. It also provides a glimpse into the world of film making and the challenges that are faced by the production team (aka Redford) from inception to final product.
From what this book conveys, the reader sees a Redford that isn't all unlike his public persona --- thoughtful, cerebral, hard-working and direct. This may disappoint some readers, but I am fairly certain that this is a pretty honest account of Redford's life so far. Definitely there are no huge red flag moments spiced with scandal.
On a curious note, Redford has periodically spent time in the Chicago area. I saw him at O'Hare rushing to catch a plane once and I've heard a few anecdotes relating to the time he spent in Chicago in preparation for A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT. One in particular concerned Redford reacting to not being noticed at a Hyde Park pizzeria. The U of C braniacs interpreted this as Redford being dumbfounded about being ignored/anonymous. After reading this book, it sounds like less of an ego thing than the fact that the man rarely experiences any sense of anonymity. Sounds like Redford has a hard time separating himself from his fame and this probably points to why he is so reclusive when he isn't out promoting a project.
Overall, this was a good read and a remarkable view of a very private public person. It is loaded with a lot of personal information regarding Redford and his family and does a remarkable job of humanizing a public figure.

Using diaries and interviews, author Michael Callan strips away the Hollywood legend; here's the early years of an aimless young man; a cynical, uncertain artist...One day this world-weary wanderer would succeed. Big time. Accountant Charles Redford moved his family to Los Angeles, California for a better-paying job at Standard Oil, settling in Santa Monica, where young Bobby Redford was born. Times weren't good, and the family moved south to Sawtelle, a dingy neighborhood(now part of Culver City). Young Bobby grew up watching Orange County, to the south, a valley of lush orange groves, become trampled by gray freeways and tract homes. Later, he would move to Utah, give birth to Sundance, and never regret leaving LA's concrete jungle. Young Redford was a rebel; pushing away his parents and teachers. Charles Robert Redford Jr. was a scrappy kid who stole hubcaps in high school. Fighting semi-poverty, Redford dropped out of college, spent some time in jail, and got into theater. Redford had connections; a television career led to the movies. At age 32, Redford broke through with "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid(1969)". "The Sting(1973)" made Redford the number one box-office star for the next three years. He directed "Ordinary People(1980)" and won the Academy Award for Best Director. He would direct 7 more movies and be nominated again for the excellent "Quiz Show(1994)". Redford turned down leading roles in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf(1966)", "The Graduate(1967)", "Rosemary's Baby(1968)", and "Love Story(1970)". An actor's colorful, checkered life produces interesting performances. In June 1973, Englishman Jack Clayton was directing Redford in the leading role in the classic "The Great Gatsby", with a script by Truman Capote and Francis Ford Coppola. Clayton said: "I thought that Gatsby is unknowable--that's the key--and I wondered how any director or actor would play that out". But Clayton thought about Redford's "fundamental loneliness". "I could think of no one more apt for the role of Gatsby. Bob was the guy in the gray area. When you got into the deep stuff with him, it was bottomless. That was Gatsby". In 1963, Redford was starring in Mike Nichol's "Barefoot in the Park". He was about to knock Broadway on it's ass. One night, the great Ingrid Bergman came back-stage to meet him. As she was leaving, Redford stopped her and said: "I just wanted to tell you how great I think you are". She smiled with the greatest charm and said words he would never forget: "Do only good work..."

Fans of Robert Redford have waited a long time for a definitive biography. Given Mr. Redford's penchant for privacy, I honestly thought the only Redford biography we'd ever get would be after his passing, but alas, Mr. Callan has delivered after a decade and a half of preparation.

As a fan of Redford's, I really enjoyed the insight into the making of all of his films, especially A River Runs Through It, Quiz Show, and The Legend of Bagger Vance. Mr. Callan had Redford's cooperation on this book up to the point that Redford apparently didn't like the direction the project was going. It is a bit of a head-scratcher to me how Redford might have balked at the narrative of this book- it is, after all, a biography.

However, it is a bit suspicious to me that this book was originally supposed to hit shelves on November 3, 2009 and has been delayed until its recent May 3, 2011 release. I say this because in July 2009, the NY Daily News reported Mr. Callan's book had some interesting tidbits on Redford's frustration working with a 13-year old Scarlett Johansson and her mother on the set of The Horse Whisperer; and yet, that material appears nowhere in the book's current form. Perhaps the delays had something to do with the removal of certain material. Nevertheless, Tom Cruise doesn't come off very well in the narrative of the making of 2007's Lions for Lambs.

At any rate, here we get insights into Robert Redford from many collaborators over the years, including his kids and closest collaborator, the late, great Sydney Pollack. I was disappointed to see Paul Newman's insights are largely missing. The other thing I found strange is that there is really very little background given to Lola Van Wagenen, his wife of 27 years. Instead, we get a description of how stretched Redford was and then passing references to his marriage being in trouble. If we couldn't have had Lola's cooperation, I at least would have liked to have known a bit more about her.

The book does an excellent job of describing the tension of Redford reconciling his celebrity with his need for privacy and truth in an industry that is largely cosmetic. We also get a very detailed timeline of the Sundance Institute, Redford's baby that consumed him during the 1980s. I especially liked the narrative about how Redford had difficulty maintaining friendships due to his being so transient. His son, Jamie, says that his father simply didn't value friendships if he didn't get anything intellectually out of them. His daughter Amy recalled that any fatherly wisdom she got from her dad was always on the move: skiing, on horseback, etc.

As a big Redford fan, I have to say I was a little surprised at the lack of buzz for the release of this book. As of this date, the NY Times and, perhaps more egregiously, the LA Times have yet to even review the book. Robert Redford is as big a film star as we have in this country. When Elizabeth Taylor died earlier this year, a lot was made about how she was one of the great movie stars ever. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think she holds a candle to Robert Redford. Not even close. But because Redford is private and not in the gossip pages, his public image has perhaps waned in the last decade. It saddens me to think if this book had been released in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, it might have generated more buzz. Perhaps at 74 and winding down a superlative film career, Robert Redford just doesn't excite the public like he used to. That is too bad- he could teach a lot the younger celebrities a thing or two about dignity and how to carry yourself with class.

Thank you Mr. Callan. Your work was worth the wait!

A very thorough, well-researched account of Robert Redford's life and career. Written with the actor's cooperation, and drawing on access to his personal papers, this is a satisfyingly detailed look that takes him seriously as a performer and director. Readers will learn much about how his best and most famous films came into being, as well as his approach to acting and collaborating with directors. The author interviewed Redford himself, as well as many colleagues. As a result, though much has already been written about films like ORDINARY PEOPLE and, of course, BUTCH CASSIDY, the author uncovers new information that is well worth the read. This is not a "fun" book for those who like a bit of scandal in their celebrity bios, but it is an important contribution to understanding an actor and director too often dismissed as just a handsome leading man.

First, the copy I received was an uncorrected proof sent to me via Amazon Vine free of charge. I review everything I receive from Amazon via the Vine program as if I had paid for it. The other interesting part is that this was sent for review, however the front cover states "It should not be quoted without comparison with the finished book." Unfortunately I am not purchasing the final print just to compare, so please keep this in mind when reading my review or any of the reviews from the Amazon Vine program. I'm sure little, if anything, changed between this print and the final print, however you have been made aware.

I'm not a huge fan of Redford. I've seen him in countless movies and love his portrayal of nearly every character he's taken on, but I wouldn't say he's someone I follow or knew much about prior to this book. After reading the book, this hasn't changed. I still like him as an actor and knowing what drives him, while interesting, doesn't make me any less or more prone to seek out his works.

With that, it was surprising and enlightening to read about him. I assumed he was a made man when he came to Hollywood. Turns out this isn't the case and he is, for the most part, a self made man on a mission. He went through great lengths to build the Sundance Institute (yes, the Sundance Film Festival is an offshoot of this endeavor, started by Redford) and personal pain to allow real independent work to take place in movie making. While it may seem commercialized today, or more so than one might suspect, the Sundance Institute was conceived to allow "starving artists" to come together and share ideas about film making while also allowing them some freedom to actually make whatever it was they desired. The Sundance Film Festival is used as a vehicle to showcase these titles and nowadays if a title wins an award at the Sundance Film Festival, more than likely it'll at least make a small commercial dent.

When you boil down what Redford is, he is truly a down to Earth person who sticks to his ideals and has the money to allow him to be altruistic in a sense. He's surprising in that his life really isn't all that surprising or, despite being a Hollywood star, ordinary. Yes, Redford is really just an ordinary person and that, for me, is awesome.


As far as the book itself, it is well written, though my fiance had some issue with reading it. Her first language is Hungarian and she knows 5 languages total, so English isn't her first language nor one she focuses on exclusively. The English used in this books consists of some "big words" she found difficult to understand without using a dictionary, which she doesn't enjoy doing for good reason (I don't like distractions while reading either). Being that I really only know English and a little Japanese, I didn't have any trouble reading and understanding it.

The pieces that needed to be descriptive, such as the introduction of the area purchased for the Sundance Institute and related material, paints a wonderfully photographic perception of the area, while dialog is handled in a clean fashion. I suppose the former comes from the fact that the author, Michael Feeney Callan, is also a short story author.

Over all I really enjoyed the book and the insight into Redford's life. I liked Redford as an actor, of course, and now that I know him a little better, I still like him. Wouldn't it be horrible to read something like this only to learn that someone you like is a real jerk? Thankfully that's not the case.

Definitely worth a read for Redford fans looking for more and interesting enough for Redford likers. Readford haters? Well, this book won't change your opinion of him at all most likely, so steer clear.

I've always admired Mr. Redford for keeping his private life private, and I've always felt that the majority of his work has been excellent. And his personal politics are very similar to my own. This biography does nothing to change my opinion of these qualities about him. What it does do is something else altogether.

This book, by being exceptionally well-written, reveals the true reason why there hasn't been any exhaustive biographies written about Redford until now. It isn't because of Redford's reluctance to have his life examined. It's just that there's not much there that is really that interesting or out of the ordinary, outside of his giving back to the film industry with the creation of the Sundance Film Institute. Had most of us been born exceptionally good-looking and decided to go into the movie industry, without any substance dependencies and with a lot of lucky breaks along the way, we would have probably reacted to the onset of fame exactly the way Redford has. There's no depiction of any outlandish affairs or personal controversies. His family life, outside of his rather amicable divorce and his son Jamie's illness, has been relatively stable and worry-free. He pursues his acting and directing, supports political causes he believes in, skis and plays tennis and baseball, maintains the Sundance Institute and devotes time to his 2nd marriage.

In other words, for a celebrity of his stature, he's pretty darn normal. And while that makes one respect the man immensely as a person and an artist, it just doesn't make for very interesting reading. The man is too much like one of us, with the added benefit of being extremely handsome.

Also -- it was mentioned in a previous review here that Redford turned down the leading role in 'The Graduate'. Not true. He was actually passed over for Dustin Hoffman because casting told Redford that, with his all-American blond good looks, no one would find him believable in the role of "Ben", which Hoffman eventually owned and made legendary.

Robert Redford has accomplished so much: actor, director, producer, entrepreneur, environmentalist, political activist. Through it all, he has steadfastly maintained a high degree of reserve and privacy.

Michael Feeney Callan, an accomplished author on Hollywood, brings to bear his own experiences in the business: as a writer, producer and director of television dramas and documentaries. Callan is based in Dublin, which may also afford him the benefit of perspective. He plainly earned the trust of Redford. The result is deep access to his subject and some of his closest colleagues, including the late Sydney Pollack.

A challenge of studying any actor is disentangling the actual person from the persona s/he presents--and, in some cases, from the reinforcement of film and stage performances. Callan's exhaustive research is presented in a chronological format, built around Redford's films and other projects.

The result is impressive and authoritative. One sees Redford triumphing in ways few can imagine--and faltering in some personal and business relationships which will be all-too-familiar to many. One recognizes his spectacular drive for accomplishment and self-improvement, with the implicit humility of one who continues to put himself on the line. Yet one also encounters his self-indulgence and sense of entitlement, such as his notorious tardiness for appointments.

Callan's biography will surely become a standard reference. It will bolster Redford's stature in his industry, and lay a marker for his place in history.

Will there be room for another ambitious Redford title? Perhaps...one that illuminates a bit more of his personal life (without prurience), that makes his restless temperament and startling drive comprehensible....or, perhaps, we will be left to contemplate Jay Gatsby and the many other roles that may point to one or more aspects of Redford's kaleidoscopic character.