Does anyone else remember that episode of Oprah’s talk show, where it was basically a tribute to Barbra Streisand? At first, Barbra spoke to Oprah one-on-one, then Robert Redford came out and basically Oprah and her entire audience squealed with delight. Barbra was thrilled as well, obviously. What struck me about that interview was that Redford was truly embarrassed by the attention, but Barbra absolutely loved that he showed up and reminisced about The Way We Were. He was such a gentleman, and you could tell that Barbra still had an enormous crush on him after all of those years. Oh, I found the interview – go here to see. Well, following Redford’s passing, many of his leading ladies gave emotional tributes. I’m including the statements from Barbra, Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda and more.
Barbra Streisand: “Every day on the set of ‘The Way We Were’ was exciting, intense and pure joy. 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. 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.”
Meryl Streep: “One of the lions has passed. Rest in peace my lovely friend.”
Demi Moore: “The world has lost an incredible actor, director, husband, father, friend… Robert’s legacy will live on forever in so many ways and I will carry the many memories we share close to my heart. What I would do for just one more dance.”
Jane Fonda: “It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone. I can’t stop crying.He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way. He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.”
I love Barbra, she just had to mention “when he came to lunch”!!! She loved that man with all her heart. Meryl did as well, and Jane adored him. He really was an American classic, and one of the biggest cultural icons and movie stars of the past century. I’m also adding a great tribute from Bob Woodward (Redford played him in All The President’s Men) and an amazing story from Mike Nichols.
Robert Redford’s supernatural charisma perfectly summed up in this anecdote from Sam Kashner’s Vanity Fair story about Mike Nichols casting The Graduate. https://t.co/BbSLuBegAm pic.twitter.com/H2MQ8ZQuAV
— Alan Siegel (@AlanSiegelLA) September 16, 2025
Robert Redford. I loved him, and admired him—for his friendship, his fiery independence, and the way he used any platform he had to help make the world better, fairer, brighter for others. pic.twitter.com/Omg433DA3y
— Bob Woodward (@realBobWoodward) September 16, 2025
Photos courtesy of Photoshot/Avalon, IMAGO/Zoonar.com/Lumeimages.com/Avalon, uppa.co.uk/Avalon, STARSTOCK/Photoshot/Avalon, Avalon Red.
