The Poster Memorabilia blog

When Meeting a Legend in Real Life

A new job, a free January, and one Park City night that turned out to be the last chance.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

I don't think we appreciate enough that some Hollywood legends are still alive. As a self-professed cinephile who was born in the 90s, I can't believe I was already alive when Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Katharine Hepburn, and Marlon Brando were still with us in the early 2000s. And a few years ago, I actually met one of those legends in person: Robert Redford.

I've been a fan of his since I first saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with my dad. I consider it the quintessential Western, with Redford following in the footsteps of John Wayne and Gary Cooper. That he starred alongside one of their contemporaries, Paul Newman, still blows my mind.

Before he passed in 2025, I dreamed of meeting Robert Redford and asking him to sign my Butch Cassidy poster. Though he remained fairly active, Redford had been stepping back from public life through the 2010s.

“There will never be anyone like him ever again.”

The one thing he kept showing up for was Sundance. Every opening night, the Sundance Institute he founded held its big annual fundraiser, “An Artist at the Table Presented by IMDbPro,” and Redford was usually there.

The only problem was that I'm usually busy with work around January, which is when Sundance takes place. So while the opportunity was there, other responsibilities kept me from going and meeting him in person. I can't tell you how frustrated I was.

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It all changed in 2020, when I switched companies and got a new job that didn't keep me as busy every January. Finally, I had the time and money to go to Sundance. I wasn't gonna miss the chance, especially since I'd missed out on all the others throughout my young adult life.

By hook or by crook, I was gonna get his autograph on this poster. Opening night was January 23, 2020, just before the world shut down, though none of us knew that yet. Looking back, that window feels even smaller than it did then.

All of this made that moment feel even sweeter. It was only a quick encounter—a simple greeting and an autograph—but it was everything I hoped it would be. As I expected, Redford was an absolute gentleman, even to an annoying fan like me. I'm sure he noticed how desperate I was to meet him and get his autograph, but he didn't look annoyed at all.

He just smiled at me and signed my poster. No muss, no fuss.

When I found out he passed away in 2025, I looked at his autograph for a long time, grateful I got to meet him before he was gone. There will never be anyone like him ever again.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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