Robert Redford Once Shared His Biggest Regret about Beloved Mother Martha Hart

Hollywood actor, Charles Robert Redford, in the early period of 2018, revealed that despite his accomplished life at 81, he still had regrets. And his greatest regret being about Martha Hart, his beloved Mother.

THE BLOW

Martha Hart passed on in 1955 at age 40. Redford was 18 years old at the time of her passing. She died from illness due to a blood disorder.

Redford revealed that his mother was so keen to have a family, that she got pregnant against the doctor’s advice. Complications during the birth of the twins led to the condition which took her life.

Unfortunately, the twins never made it either. At 18, he could not handle the loss of the one person that stood by him and was always there to encourage him. Her death had seemed so unfair to him.

As a teenager, Redford got himself involved in questionable vices on the streets of Los Angeles. However, his mother Martha Hart, who he described as the “strongest member of the family,” pushed him to lead a better life. It was daunting that she never lived to see his Hollywood successes.

The longtime actor stated that his only regret was that she passed away before he could thank her. At the Sundance Film Festival Utah Women’s Celebration, Redford admitted to the audience that his strong connection to women has to do with his mom who had faith that he had something in him that was going to turn out okay.

THE RECOVERY

True to the actor’s claim to have been a “bad student” who found inspiration outside the classroom, and was interested in “arts” and sports, he soon discovered his ardor for the arts through a not-so-easy process.

He graduated Van Nuys High School and proceeded to the University of Colorado Boulder on a partial scholarship. He, however, lost his scholarship as well as studentship when he turned to the bottles.

During his 18 short months as a student, he became a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He went on to attend Pratt Institute, where he studied painting. He also furthered his education at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts which skyrocketed him to the peak of his acting career.

At age 22, Redford married his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen. The union gave him the comfort he had yearned for since his mom’s passing. He admitted in an interview that the marriage had been to save his life.

In his words:

“But I have to say it was to save my life. That’s what it felt like at the time.”

In 1985, their marriage of 27 years ended in a divorce. The award-winning actor and movie director remarried in 2009 to Sibylle Szaggars.