Leonardo DiCaprio pays tribute to ‘absolute legend’ Robert Redford

Leonardo DiCaprio has paid tribute to Robert Redford, who died at the age of 89 on Tuesday. Photo / Getty Images

Leonardo DiCaprio says the movie industry has “lost an absolute legend” following the death of Robert Redford.

The Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid star passed away in his sleep at his home in Utah, United States, at the age of 89 on Tuesday and DiCaprio paid tribute to the Hollywood titan at the premiere of his new picture One Battle After Another.

Speaking at the movie’s London premiere on Wednesday, the 50-year-old star said: “Very sad news, very sad day. We lost an absolute legend in our industry. I admire him for not only his work as an actor, but as a director with Quiz Show.

“We have a film tonight that we’re premiering, that is a political thriller in a lot of ways, and he was the one that created the foundation of all that, with All the President’s Men, Three Days of the Condor.”

The Wolf of Wall Street actor also highlighted Redford’s environmental activism as a key part of his legacy.

He said: “But more so than anything, I’ve said it over and over again, he was an avid environmental advocate, was a member of the NRDC [Natural Resources Defence Council] like me, and he was a hero to a lot of people in our industry, including myself, so it’s a huge loss.”

DiCaprio was one of many Hollywood greats who paid tribute to Redford after his death. Jane Fonda, who starred alongside him in the movies Barefoot in the Park and The Electric Horseman, said she had been unable to “stop crying” after hearing the news.

The 87-year-old star said: “It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone.

“I can’t stop crying. He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way. He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.”

Meanwhile, Redford was described as “one of the finest actors ever” by Barbra Streisand, his co-star in the 1973 film The Way We Were.

She wrote on Instagram: “Every day on the set of The Way We Were was exciting, intense and pure joy.

“We were such opposites: he was from the world of horses; I was allergic to them! Yet we kept trying to find out more about each other, just like the characters in the movie.

“Bob was charismatic, intelligent, intense, always interesting – and one of the finest actors ever.

“The last time I saw him, when he came to lunch, we discussed art and decided to send each other our first drawings.

“He was one of a kind and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.”