Robert Redford's real-life love story began in Utah with wife who wasn't impressed with Hollywood fame

Robert Redford was initially attracted to Sibylle Szaggars once he learned she wasn't familiar with him or his movies.

The legendary actor was 89 when he died on Sept. 16 at his home in Sundance, Utah, his representative told Fox News Digital. Redford and Szaggars' love story began decades ago in those very mountains in Utah.

In 1996, the German-born artist ran into Redford while on a ski trip with friends at his Sundance Mountain Resort, which eventually became the same spot he founded the non-profit Sundance Institute to provide support for independent filmmakers.

Robert Redford and wife Sibylle Szaggars have a love story that dates back decades. (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)

In 2014, Szaggars shed some light on their first encounter.

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"I knew of him," Szaggars recalled during a discussion for the National YoungArts Foundation. "I had seen ‘Jeremiah Johnson,' one of my favorite films, and ‘Barefoot in the Park.’ But I have to also say: I’m not a film person, and I hadn’t been a film person. I was more interested in musicals, opera and painting and artists and Salvador Dalí and Picasso."

Robert Redford and his wife Sibylle Szaggars attended the "All Is Lost" premiere during the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival in 2013. (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Szaggars said that Redford invited her and her group of friends out to dinner after a day on the slopes. "Oh my God, I don't know any of his films," she recalled thinking to herself.

One of Redford's friends told her that she could rent some of his movies at the reception. She rented several and watched short bursts of the six or eight movies that she rented in the chance that the star would bring any of them up, but he didn't.

"I thought, ‘What if he wants to talk about his movies?’ I have no idea — that would be so embarrassing. I probably would have mixed everything. Of course, he did not talk about it so I was rescued and saved," she said at the time.

Redford was also in attendance for the panel and admitted this is one of Szaggars' qualities that attracted him to her.

"That’s one of the things that attracted me to her—she didn’t know much about me."

"That’s one of the things that attracted me to her—she didn’t know much about me."

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"So we started from a more even playing field. I didn’t have to worry about any agenda. I’d been through that before. And so it was a wonderful beginning of a relationship because it began as two human beings meeting each other and finding a connection as two human beings rather than being colored by success or whatever," Redford said at the time.

Prior to his romance with Szaggars, who he married in 2009, Redford was married to Lola Van Wagenen. The pair tied the knot in 1958 and later divorced. Redford and Szaggars did not have any of their own children, but she became stepmom to Redford's children from his marriage to Van Wagenen.

Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars met in the late 1990s. They were photographed here in 2004. (Matthew Peyton/Getty Images)

Redford and Szaggars kept their relationship private over the past several decades and rarely made any public comments about their romance. Prior to tying the knot in 2009, Redford spoke to the German magazine, Bunte, about their engagement. 

"We are engaged and very happy with that. She is my fiancée and that says everything, doesn’t it?" he told the magazine in 2008.

Robert Redford won an Oscar for best director of "Ordinary People" in 1981. (AP Photo)

Sticking to their theme of privacy, Redford and Szaggars kept their wedding very small, only inviting 30 friends and family members. They tied the knot at Louis C. Jacob Hotel in Hamburg, Germany, where Szaggars is from.

In 2011, Redford spoke to AARP The Magazine about Szaggars. "She's a very special person. She's younger than I am, and European, which I like, so that's a whole new life," he said at the time.

Szaggars was 21 years younger than Redford.

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During his illustrious career that spanned five decades of film, Redford became an Oscar-winning director as well as an activist. Szaggars also had an interest in activism.

Sibylle Szaggar married husband Robert Redford in 2009 when he was 73 years old.  (Daniele Venturelli)

In 2015, Redford and his wife founded The Way of the Rain, "which is organized exclusively for charitable, cultural and educational purposes, including the specific purpose of developing, producing and performing educational and artistic performances themed and designed to promote public awareness and support for the protection of our Earth," according to the non-profit organization's website.

Szaggars and Redford were last publicly photographed together at Prince Albert II of Monaco's 2021 award ceremony, which highlights organizations and individuals dedicated to preserving the planet.

Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars attended The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation's 2021 award ceremony in 2021. (Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)

Redford and Szaggars were both wearing white at the event and posed for photos.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox took to Instagram shortly after Redford's death to shed some light on his life in his state.

"Decades ago, Robert Redford came to Utah and fell in love with this place. He cherished our landscapes and built a legacy that made Utah a home for storytelling and creativity. Through Sundance and his devotion to conservation, he shared Utah with the world."

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"Today we honor his life, his vision, and his lasting contribution to our state," Cox captioned a photo of Redford on a horse in Utah.

Redford's representative shared a statement with Fox News Digital on Sept. 16, confirming his passing. 

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"Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah – the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy," his representative said.

The Hollywood icon was best known for classics like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting."

Robert Redford during the filming of "Downhill Racer" in May 1969. (Ernst Haas/Getty Images)

Before he became the rugged screen icon of the 1970s, Redford grew up in Santa Monica, California. 

After skyrocketing to fame in the ’60s, Redford dominated the ’70s box office with back-to-back hits like "The Candidate," "The Way We Were" and "All the President’s Men." He capped off the decade with an Oscar win for best director in 1980 for "Ordinary People," which also took home best picture.

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Fox News Digital's Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.