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Tragic Details About Robert Redford's Life
By JON O'BRIEN
Contracting Polio
In 2011, when Robert Redford agreed to cooperate with author Michael Feeney Callan on a book about his life, the actor's battle with polio as a child came to light.
Thankfully, it wasn't a serious case, but Redford, then 11 years old, had to spend a
few weeks in bed after overworking himself while swimming in the ocean.
A Deadly Dare
During his high school years, the future Hollywood star was challenged to jump off a relatively high building, as a dare, that could’ve nearly cost him his life.
Having apparently proved his manliness without breaking every bone in his body, a young Redford was allowed to continue wreaking havoc with the rest
of his friends as a reward.
Losing His Mom
Redford’s mother, Martha sadly passed away, at just 40, from a hemorrhage linked
to a blood disorder she'd contracted during the stillbirth of her twin daughters.
The Academy Award Winner made his screen debut five years after her passing. “My regret is that she passed away before I could thank her," Redford told Closer Weekly.
Losing His Uncle
Redford first experienced grief when he lost his uncle, David, who'd served as a second father figure to him during his early years.
David was drafted into the Second World War and lost his life in 1945 after the Jeep he was traveling across a Luxembourg bridge in was caught in a crossfire.
Out Of College
Redford was kicked out of the University of Colorado after just 18 months. In his book, Robert Redford: The Biography, Feeney wrote, "Redford [...] was regarded as a loose cannon."
While the author doesn't mention exactly what went down in the Kappa Sigma fraternity that the future Hollywood star belonged to, we can't imagine it was pretty.