Before he died at age 89, legendary actor, director and founder of the Sundance Institute Robert Redford influenced film artists from across the nation, including Oklahoma.
Redford died on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at his home in the mountains of Utah, the same vast swath of land where he founded Sundance and its offshoot, the Sundance Film Festival.
His work to promote independent artists brought him into contact with Oklahomans, including a brief visit to the state in 2002 to support the Sundance Channel.
Redford promised to visit Oklahoma after cable conflict
In 2001, Redford called on then-Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin to help keep the Sundance Channel available in Oklahoma City. At the time, Cox Communications planned to drop Sundance from its OKC lineup to make room for more commercially viable channels…