Before Robert Redford became one of Hollywood’s most iconic stars, his journey to stardom passed through the Delaware Valley.
In 1961, Redford starred in the play Sunday in New York at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, marking one of his earliest stage performances. But his first major break came two years earlier at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, where he arrived as a summer apprentice through the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
“Which was a great acting school in New York, and every year they picked two people to come down here and be an apprentice for the summer,” said Alexander Fraser, producing director at the Bucks County Playhouse. “Grace Kelly was in 1949 and Robert Redford 1959.”
Tune in to “Robert Redford: The Life and Legacy of an American Icon — A Special Edition of ’20/20′” on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
Born in California, Redford soon transitioned to film, starring in a string of acclaimed movies, including ‘All the President’s Men’ and ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.’ Seeking to move beyond his image as a Hollywood heartthrob, he turned to directing, earning an Academy Award for Ordinary People and later directing Quiz Show in 1994…