Μake us preferred on Google Robert Redford, one of the enduring icons of American cinema, died on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89, leaving behind a celebrated career, numerous awards and an activist legacy that shaped his era.
But beyond his work in film, Redford was also known for his restless spirit and love of exploration and travel. As he once put it, “travel was my real education.”
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In an interview with To Vima, Redford explained that he had struggled at school and felt that his education lay elsewhere — in the world and in experiences with unfamiliar cultures.
“I felt that travel would be my real education. I didn’t do well in school. I was bored. My eyes, my thoughts, my imagination were constantly outside the window. Something inside me told me that my education was out there, in the world, in experiences with unknown cultures. And that’s what I did,” he said.
Five months in Crete
Redford recalled one of his major family journeys, which took place in 1967.
“I took my family and we returned to Europe. We lived for six months in Spain, in a small town in the south, Mijas, and then we went to Greece. First to Heraklion and then into the interior of Crete,” he told To Vima.
The family spent five months in Crete, living just outside Heraklion.
Redford became so attached to the island that he tried to persuade his family to abandon their usual way of life and live in a cave in Matala, a village on Crete’s southern coast.
“I love Greece and the Greeks,” the actor, producer and founder of the Sundance Film Festival said.
He later spoke about the journey again in an interview with Greek Reporter, recalling that he had taken his family to Crete because he loved the island, had read about it and was eager to visit.
Exploring the island
Redford also remembered spending an entire month on what he described as a “fantastic vacation” in Crete.
“I traveled all over Crete, stayed in Elounda, and from there we explored all the beauties of the island. I have truly traveled all over the planet and I have never seen hospitality like that of Crete,” he said.
His memories of Greece remained part of the story of an actor whose career extended far beyond Hollywood.
Redford made his mark on world cinema with landmark films including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Sting (1973) and All the President’s Men (1976).
As an actor, director and producer, and through the Sundance Institute, he was a pioneer in supporting independent cinema. His activism and environmental advocacy also made him one of the most prominent figures of modern American culture.
