Robert Redford invited a legendary actress on a date, but she deleted his voicemail and refused to meet up with him. We’re talking about the ‘Golden Girl’ Betty White, who publicly revealed her crush on the Sundance Kid. Redford was desperate to meet White, but she shut him down with her power moves.
In 2018, White told Parade that she wished for one birthday gift on her 96th birthday. She wanted her celebrity crush, Redford, as a present. She shared that she pursued the Oscar-winning director of Ordinary People for a long time. She shared,
But it never works. I try every year.
She even lit up when the possibility was brought up that she could co-star with Redford in a film. She shared, “Oh, there’s an idea! That could be a very good idea!” However, White wasn’t entirely truthful when she said she tried every time and failed.
White once revealed to Larry King that Redford had actually tried to get in touch with her. She shared that he had written a poem for her, congratulating her on winning an award. He left her a voicemail, but she deleted it. She shared that she believed it to be some sort of prank at the time. However, there was a little more to that story.
Betty White & Robert Redford Relationship: Why She Refused to Meet Him
Betty White’s Hot in Cleveland co-star Wendy Malick spilled the tea on White’s actual feelings for Robert Redford. When Malick appeared on The Queen Latifah Show, she shared that she would love to get Redford on their show as a guest star. She explained that it was because White had a crush on him.
She revealed that she had personally arranged a meeting between White and Redford during a fundraiser for Return to Freedom. She shared that she and Redford did a video for White, where he pleaded his case to her and asked her on a date. According to Malick, he shared in his message to White, “What can I do? I call. I write. You don’t come. I’ve tried to see you.”
Malick shared that White got a personal call from Redford, which she ignored. It appears that White’s move was more intentional. She once shared, “I don’t ever want to meet him. I would be so embarrassed. I’ve taken his name in vain so many times” (via Ranker).
Larry King once asked Redford if he had ever met her. He shared that he had certainly put it out there. He told King, “Well, I gave her the chance, but she hasn’t followed up yet.” Sadly, Betty White passed away in 2021 before she got to meet with Redford. The Captain America actor has passed away at the age of 89.
Robert Redford Has Passed Away at the Age of 89
Robert Redford died in his sleep on Tuesday morning at the age of 89. His publicist revealed the news, sharing that he was at his Utah home, “the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved” (via NBC News). Cindi Berger, his publicist, added, “He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy.”
Redford was a leading man in Hollywood in the ’60s and ’70s. His first leading man role came in the 1967 romantic drama Barefoot in the Park. However, his major breakthrough was playing Sundance Kid opposite Paul Newman’s Butch Cassidy in the classic film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
He later became a filmmaker, winning an Oscar for his 1980 film, Ordinary People. He was active in Hollywood for decades, spanning from 1959 to 2019. New age fans knew him from his villain role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. His Hollywood ties also extend to the Sundance Institute, which he founded in 1981 and sponsors the Sundance Film Festival.
Redford is survived by his wife, Sibylle Szaggars, and his two children from a previous marriage, Shauna Jean Redford and Amy Hart Redford. His eldest child from his previous marriage, Scott Anthony Redford, passed away when he was an infant. His second son, David James Redford, died from cancer in 2020.
He announced his retirement after appearing in a cameo role in Avengers: Endgame. After Endgame, Redford also gave his voice to the 2020 film Omniboat, directed by his grandson, Dylan Redford.
What do you think of Betty White’s flirtatious relationship with Redford? Let us know in the comments below!
