Barbra Streisand will always have fond memories of Robert Redford and The Way We Were.
News broke on September 16, 2025 that Redford had died in his sleep at age 89 at his home in Utah. A cause of death was not revealed at the time.
Hours after the Oscar-winning actor and director’s death was confirmed by his rep, Streisand took to Instagram to pay tribute to her The Way We Were costar, sharing a black and white throwback photo from the 1973 romantic drama film.
“Every day on the set of The Way We Were was exciting, intense and pure joy,” she recalled. “We were such opposites: he was from the world of horses; I was allergic to them! Yet, we kept trying to find out more about each other, just like the characters in the movie. Bob was charismatic, intelligent, intense, always interesting — and one of the finest actors ever.”
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Streisand continued, “The last time I saw him, when he came to lunch, we discussed art and decided to send each other our first drawings. He was one of a kind and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.”
Streisand’s tribute wasn’t the first time she gushed about Redford.
Keep scrolling to see everything the Funny Girl star said about Redford before his death:
What Attracted Barbra Streisand to Robert Redford
In her 2023 memoir, My Name Is Barbra, Streisand opened up about seeing Redford’s performance in his 1967 breakout film, Barefoot in the Sand, calling it “a light comedy and he was perfectly passable.” However, she saw his true potential in the 1966 film This Property Is Condemned, which was directed by Sydney Pollack. (Pollack went on to direct The Way We Were in 1973.)
“I saw there was a lot going on behind those crystal blue eyes,” Streisand wrote of Redford, adding that she was “drawn to him not because of his appearance … guys with blond hair and blue eyes were never my type. I did think he was very handsome … a wonderful jawline … great teeth. But what intrigued me most about Bob was his complexity. You never quite know what he’s thinking, and that makes him fascinating to watch on screen.”
Streisand continued, “Like the greatest movie stars, Bob understands the power of restraint. You’re never going to get it all … and that’s the mystery … that’s what makes you want to keep looking at him.”
Getting Robert Redford to Join ‘The Way We Were’
Streisand wrote that Redford initially turned down The Way We Were because he felt that his character, Hubbell Gardiner, was underdeveloped.
“In Bob’s opinion, he was ‘shallow and one-dimensional,’” Streisand explained. “I wanted to make Bob happy, so I told Sydney, ‘Give him anything he wants. Write more scenes to strengthen his character. Make it equal.’”
Though Redford still said no to the role, Streisand was persistent, and he ultimately accepted. Their chemistry on screen was palpable.
“Bob and I were genuinely curious about each other, and I believe that’s what comes across on screen,” she continued. “Once he asked me about Brooklyn. What was it like growing up there? I guess he thought I was kind of exotic, but to me, he was the exotic one, growing up in California. Did he surf? Fish? Swim in the ocean after eating?”
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Robert Redford Was an ‘Intellectual Cowboy’
Streisand gushed about Redford while presenting him with an honorary Oscar in 2002.
“He’s always interesting. He’s always interested. He’s very smart, very private,” she said. “He’s self-assured, but shy, and I adored working with him. Robert Redford’s work as an actor, director and producer always represents the man himself, the intellectual, the artist, the cowboy.”
Streisand continued, “He has a passion for telling stories that reflect the strengths and the vulnerabilities of the American spirit, our struggle to achieve what is highest in our nature, and though we don’t always succeed, Robert Redford films make certain that we celebrate the effort. Redford took charge of his own career from the very beginning, always working closely with writers. His work as an actor and as a director is always skillfully subtle, restrained and yet deeply emotional.”
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Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand’s 1st Day on ‘The Way We Were’
While presenting Redford with the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Chaplin Award in 2015, Streisand recalled their first day of filming The Way They Were.
“[On the set the first day] I could hear the crew shouting out my opening lines from Funny Girl: ‘Hello, gorgeous.’ I was thrilled, I was flattered … and then I was very upset because they were talking to Bob,” she joked.
