Robert Redford

The Biography

By: Michael Feeney Callan

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 17 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The long-anticipated biography of Robert Redford.

Among the most widely admired Hollywood stars of his generation, Redford has appeared onstage and on-screen, in front of and behind the camera, earning Academy, Golden Globe, and a multitude of other awards and nominations for acting, directing, and producing, and for his contributions to the arts. His Sundance Film Festival transformed the world of filmmaking; his films defined a generation. America has come to know him as the Sundance Kid, Bob Woodward, Johnny Hooker, Jay Gatsby, and Roy Hobbs. But only now, with this revelatory biography, do we see the surprising and complex man beneath the Hollywood façade.

From Redford’s personal papers—journals, script notes, correspondence—and hundreds of hours of taped interviews, Michael Feeney Callan brings the legendary star into focus. Here is his scattered family background and restless childhood, his rocky start in acting, the death of his son, his star-making relationship with director Sydney Pollack, the creation of Sundance, his political activism, his artistic successes and failures, his friendships and romances. This is a candid, surprising portrait of a man whose iconic roles on-screen (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men, The Natural) and directorial brilliance (Ordinary People, Quiz Show) have both defined and obscured one of the most celebrated, and, until now, least understood, public figures of our time.

©2011 Michael Feeney Callan (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

["“Revealing . . . An unusually well-written movie-star biography . . . What emerges is a comprehensive portrait of a man beset by colliding tides of ambition and hesitation . . . Robert Redford is as fascinating . . . as its subject.” (Scott Eyman, The Wall Street Journal)

“Relentless and first-rate . . . A layered portrait of one of the most famous—and elusive—faces in pop culture.” (Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

“Bracing . . . A fascinating study . . . of fame and our uneasy relationship with it.” (Maureen Callahan, New York Post)

Lots of detail

I admire the writer for such an in depth research process on Redford’s long career. Although not sure of the need for the early family stuff at the beginning. Redford is one of those actors I would watch in anything he was involved with.

LOOOOOVED IT!

I really enjoyed this biography. I watched some of the movies as they told the stories about how they came to be. The reader sounded just like Robert Redford. I really liked it!

Interestingly Disappointing

I was very excited to see this book for sale in the library, until I started listening to it. Don't get me wrong, there are many good things in the book. I learned a lot about his personal life and as the mother of a son who's an actor, voice over artist, writer, producer and director, I can't thank him enough for all that Sundance means.
As for the writing in this book, I found the ending rather abrupt and unsettling. I'm not one who wants to know only the good or bad about someone. it's that middle ground where truth really lies and this book misses that mark by just a hair or two.
As for the narrator he did a great job, in the beginning, of changing his vocals when reading a quote from Redford. The first time, I had to rewind to make sure it wasn't Redford, but as the book progresses he loses it more and more. By the end, you can't tell the difference. I'm not sure which disappointed me more, the way the ending was written or how it was performed. it's like the narrator didn't know the book was ending and you can almost hear the surprise in his voice. I actually had to look at my phone to see if it had quit for some reason, but no, that WAS how he chose to voice the end. Very frustrating.
I dithered between giving a score of 3 or 4, because there are some real good things about this book, but the ending and the way it was read makes me give it a solid 3.

Inside, Outside and Center of the KID!

Most biographies is a list of accomplishments. They review the person focusing on the highs and lows along the way. This biography does that without drawing attention to it. It relishes what happens between the accomplishments and the defeats. For those who want the "behind the scenes" of Redford they're here. However, they are NOT trivial. Very few silly meaningless stories that are often looked for in biographies.
Like a master editor, Mr. Feeney Callan cuts together only meaningful stories. The stories focus on Redford, his family, his art, his passions, his movies and his environmental activism. Along the way we get information on his partnerships with all the film greats and so much more! However, what is most impressive is how we are introduced to the complexities that make up who Robert Redford is. Even more impressive is the narration by Mark Deakins. He is a true doppelganger of Redford's voice. So much so that you think Redford is the one doing the reading (inflections, attitudes and all).
The book leaves no stone unturned, no road less traveled. In fact, there are many detours along the way that captures the essence of the lessons taught by the 50's, 60's and 70's. Each decade of Redford's life would shape who and what he would become. Ever the chameleon, the book explores the many colors of Redford's personality. The information shared on the journey of a true artist is awe inspiring. The what, the why, the when, the where and the how. This book left me so inspired and challenged on what is important in this life. Robert Redford is a true American hero, but not the one created by Hollywood. He is a thinker, a doer and a risk taker. He is the myth of America.

Biography of Redford’s personal and business transactions.

While there is a good deal of Redford’s personal experience and motivations the book boils down to ~70% business transactions and ~30% personal accounts. Still good information but would love to hear more perspectives from Redford himself.

disappointed

Not sure I know much more about Redford than when I began reading this bio. Lots of politics, environmental concerns, casting angst on movies but very little about Redford as a person outside of his activism, politics, passion and lateness. Very little on family life (beyond wife's politics, naturally) friends and co-workers (beyond their politics) and the experience of making some very successful movies.

I wasn't looking for fluff but expected more warmth and humanity...not chapter after chapter of "environment, canyons, development, politics, history, etc."

The narration is first rate...sounds a little like Redford but this is not an audiobook I would recommend.

Redford at his finest

Excellent material, great to learn about one if Americas finest actors and activists, bravo to all involved

Most Revealing

My love for Robert Redford is born out of my father’s respect of his movies as I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s. This amazing actor has always struck me as a most passionate human being torn between so many shared interests beyond his movies. This audiobook documents the details and complexities of trying to balance his talent for acting as his way to support and protect what many Americans also hold so dear. My love and respect for him has multiplied exponentially due to this detailed audio account.

What a mighty good man

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, defenitely. I learned so much about this man.

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked most were his reasons for doing particular films. I have watched a few of his films back, and some I hadn't seen before. It gave an extra dimension to the films. I also was intriged to hear of how he seemed to struggle between staying true to his authentic self and the pressures of Hollywood and the changes in the world.

Which character – as performed by Mark Deakins – was your favorite?

Robert himself

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it was too long. But every night in bed I would listen to about 45 minutes.

Any additional comments?

The voice of Mark Deakins was very pleasant to listen to.

Bob's movies & politics ad nauseam - not much bio

What would have made Robert Redford better?

The title should have been, "Robert Redford: His Art; His Environment; His Sundance," because it definitely was not his biography.This is obviously not a deep dive into the true life of Redford. Once in a while there may be an ever so brief skim of the surface of what's going on in his real life (if, of course, the information is accurate, but of course one never knows for sure of its authenticity.) The 17+ hours of audio are mostly about Redford's REEL life (or the author's interpretation of it at least), seeming to explain Redford's career as he moves from one film to the next, sometimes overlapping and simultaneous (he was definitely a busy man) and how all that intertwines with Redford's evolving environmental/political agenda, and obviously his family suffered, as would any family suffer under these circumstances (if the circumstances were in fact presented accurately). In the midst of telling of the evolution of his career and his political/environmental agenda is an ever-so-slight smattering of his family of origin issues, his failed marriage, his love interests and his children and their issues but all the real life issues covered in this book (which one usually associates with a real biography) could probably be amalgamated onto a few pages and heard in a couple hours.Not to say the art of it all isn't interesting but when you listen to a book expecting a bio, you expect to feel like you get to know the subject of the book a bit better than when you picked it up. I don't feel I got to know Redford any better through the listening of this book. If the information in this book is at all accurate, then I have a better understanding of his approach to his art, his environmental/political agenda, his love of Sundance, etc., but I felt I received no better understanding of him than I had before. But he's probably okay with that. Perhaps he doesn't understand himself either. My take on what the author said is that Redford definitely doesn't want to open himself up to be understood by the public anyway, which begs the question, why would he turn over documents and spend so much time to allow a bio to be written about himself?You asked, "What would have made Robert Redford better?" Perhaps only "Double R, Superstar" himself would know that.

Would you ever listen to anything by Michael Feeney Callan again?

Probably not. I didn't particularly care for the way he organized and presented the information.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Mark Deakins?

Yes. I liked his voice. I presume he was chosen because he sounded a bit like Redford himself. :)

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Yes. It was interesting to hear the back stories on some of the Redford movies I have enjoyed over the years and to hear the history of Sundance, that beautiful canyon that I love so much.

Any additional comments?

From the prologue it sounds like Redford approved this biography. That surprised me. I never thought he'd want anything written about him.