Robert Redford
Redford in 2013, photo by Debby Wong/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Charles Robert Redford, Jr.
Date of Birth: August 18, 1936
Place of Birth: Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Death: September 16, 2025
Place of Death: Sundance, Utah, U.S.
Ethnicity: English, Irish, Scottish, Northern Irish/Scots-Irish, Cornish
Robert Redford was an American actor, director, producer, businessperson, environmentalist, and philanthropist. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for Ordinary People (1980). His film roles include War Hunt, Inside Daisy Clover, The Chase (1966), Barefoot in the Park, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Downhill Racer, Jeremiah Johnson, The Candidate, The Way We Were, The Sting, The Great Gatsby (1974), Three Days of the Condor, All the President’s Men, A Bridge Too Far, The Electric Horseman, Brubaker, The Natural, Out of Africa, Legal Eagles, Havana (1990), Sneakers, Indecent Proposal, Up Close & Personal, The Horse Whisperer, which he directed; The Last Castle, Spy Game, The Clearing, An Unfinished Life, Lions for Lambs, The Company You Keep, both of which he also directed; All Is Lost, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, A Walk in the Woods, Truth (2015), Pete’s Dragon (2016), Our Souls at Night, and The Old Man & the Gun. He also directed The Milagro Beanfield War, A River Runs Through It, Quiz Show, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and The Conspirator. He co-founded the Sundance Film Festival. He is depicted as being the President of the United States from 1989 to c. 2019 on the show Watchmen.
Robert was the son of Martha W. (Hart) and Charles Robert Redford, an accountant. His father was from Rhode Island. His mother was from Texas. His ancestry included English, Irish, Scottish, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, and Cornish. His father’s family were recent immigrants. His mother’s family had lived in the U.S., and specifically the American South, for many generations. He was mostly raised in Van Nuys, California.
Robert was married to Sibylle Szaggars, until his death. He had four children with his former wife, historian and environmental activist Lola Van Wagenen; including documentary filmmaker and environmental activist James Redford and actress, director, and producer Amy Redford.
Robert’s patrilineal ancestry can be traced to Peter Redford, who was born, c. the early 1700s, in Manchester, Lancashire, England.
Robert’s paternal grandfather was Charles Elisha Redford (the son of Charles Redford and Jane Archie). Robert’s grandfather Charles was born in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island. Robert’s great-grandfather Charles was born in South Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island, to English-born parents, of English and Irish ancestry, Elisha Redford, who was born in Manchester, Lancashire, and Mary Ann McCreary. Robert’s great-grandmother Jane was born in Old Machar, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the daughter of William M. Archie and Jane Little.
Robert’s paternal grandmother was Lena Taylor (the daughter of Henry Taylor and Mary Tucker). Lena was born in England, to parents who were born in Cornwall. Henry was the son of Jonathan Taylor and Elizabeth Crocker. Mary was the daughter of William Tucker and Grace Tremberth.
Robert’s maternal grandfather was Archibald Woodruff “Tot” Hart (the son of John Gabriel Hart and Ida Woodruff). Archibald was born in Webster Groves, St. Louis, Missouri. John was the son of James Carmichael Hart and Mary Elizabeth Long. Ida was the daughter of William Henry Woodruff and Julia Hannah Jackson.
Robert’s maternal grandmother was Sallie/Sally Pate Green (the daughter of Eugene E. Green and Martha “Mattie” Bugg). Sallie was born in San Marcos, Hays, Texas, to parents who were also born in the state. Eugene was the son of Edwin/Ed Jeremiah L. Green and Eliza Jane Young. Martha was the daughter of Zachariah P. Bugg and Emily J. “Emma” Davis.
Sources: Family history of Robert Redford – http://www.powells.com
Genealogies of Robert Redford – http://famouskin.com
https://www.geni.com
http://freepages.rootsweb.com
Robert’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Robert’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Elisha Redford and Mary Ann McCreary, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Robert’s paternal grandmother, Lena Taylor, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Robert’s mother – http://www.findagrave.com
Robert’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
McCreary is a Northern Ireland name but don’t know if it is Irish or Scottish Gaelic. In the 1901 census many of the McCreary’s were Protestant as seen in the link below.
I am not sure a Scots Gaelic name should be marked as ‘Scotch-Irish’ because Gaels were Highland Scots and Scotch-Irish were mainly Lowland people even if they shared a religion.
It would be simpler to mark it as Scottish.
https://www.barrygriffin.com/surname-maps/irish/MACCREARY/
His mum’s surname is Scottish and her line leads back to Renfrewshire Scotland. Family tree below
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/pedigree/landscape/9WZW-886
His mother’s maiden name Hart leads back to Scotland.https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/vitals/L2BV-NBF
https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Redford-Family-Tree-584
The name Redford originates from Midlothian in Scotland (a few miles from where I live). I would say he is more Scottish than anything.
That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s more scottish. He just has a scottish name.
He also looks Scottish and has lots of Scottish surnames in his family tree.
“Looks Scottish”? I don’t think there is a definitive Scottish look – they are an “extraodinarily” mixed people:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17740638
You have referred to the Scottish as mixed multiple times, citing the same articles that are based on one study. Tell me, to what degree do you think the average Scot have non-European ancestry? 30%? 40%?
Assuming the average Scot actually has “West African, Arabian, south-east Asian and Siberian” ancestry (which is doubtable; your articles state that 1% of Scots have Berber ancestry, far from average), I’d be surprised if these ethnicities account for more than 1% or their ancestry. Would this really make them an “‘extraodinarily’ mixed people”?
@madman
>citing the same articles
You mean ”the same article”, because he keeps spamming the same article over and over again. How his IP doesn’t get blocked is beyond me.
They aren’t any more mixed than the Irish, English or Welsh. That article is just a “spiel” and doesn’t explain anything much at all. It is basically a typically misleading newspaper article. It is just talking about ydna and making fairly broad assertions from that ydna. Regarding the article Tom Conti for example has a mother of Irish ancestry and his father is Italian.