Robert Redford's Origins
Robert Redford, born Charles Robert Redford Jr. on August 18, 1936, entered the world in sunny Santa Monica, California. His early years unfolded against the backdrop of a classic mid-20th-century American upbringing, blending coastal vibes with suburban grit.

Birthplace Details

  • Exact Location : Santa Monica, California, USA—a beachside city known for its pier and laid-back charm.
  • Family Roots : Son of Charles Robert Redford Sr., an accountant at Standard Oil, and Martha Woodruff Redford from Texas. His ancestry mixes Irish, Scottish, English, and Scotch-Irish lines.

Picture a young Redford navigating the modest neighborhoods near Los Angeles, where ocean breezes met the hum of post-Depression life.

Where He Was Raised

Redford grew up primarily in Van Nuys , a working-class neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. His family lived there while his dad commuted to El Segundo for work.

  • Childhood Moves : Frequent trips to Austin, Texas, to visit his maternal grandfather sparked his lifelong love for nature and environmentalism.
  • Youthful Adventures : A self-described "scrappy kid," he got into mischief like stealing hubcaps in high school and later lost a baseball scholarship at the University of Colorado due to partying.

This Los Angeles backdrop shaped his athletic build and restless spirit, fueling early dreams beyond the Valley.

Family and Early Influences

His parents provided a stable yet adventurous home—mom from Texas brought Southern storytelling, dad the steady oilman grind. A paternal half-brother named William was part of the mix.

Tragedy struck early with his mother’s passing in 1955, but those formative years in California honed the charisma that lit up Hollywood screens.

Later Ties to Utah

While born and raised in California, Redford forged deep roots in Utah starting in 1961, buying land in Provo Canyon with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen (a Utah native). He founded the Sundance Resort and Film Festival there, where he passed away on September 16, 2025, at age 89—surrounded by the mountains he cherished.

Utah became his spiritual home, but his true "raised" story stays rooted in SoCal's sun-soaked streets.

TL;DR : Born in Santa Monica, CA; raised in Van Nuys, LA area—with Texas visits adding flavor.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.