September 16, 2025
Provided Image/Bucks County Playhouse
Before Robert Redford became a movie starred, he appeared in a pair of plays at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope — 'Tiger at the Gate' and 'Nobody Loves Me,' which later was renamed 'Barefoot in the Park.' . Above, he is shown with Mildred Natwick in a 1963 production of 'Barefoot in the Park.'
Robert Redford, who died Tuesday at 89, will be remembered as an acclaimed actor, Academy Award-winning director, environmentalist and founder of the Sundance Institute.
Near the beginning of his prestigious career, the film icon spent time acting in Bucks County — an experience he credited as important to his success.
Redford appeared in two of his earliest plays at The Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope — "Tiger at the Gate" in 1959 and Neil Simon's "Nobody Loves Me" in 1963. The latter became known as "Barefoot in the Park" once it hit Broadway.
Redford came to New Hope as an apprentice from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, which had an informal relationship with the Bucks County Playhouse in the mid-20th century, according to the theater.
"Of all the starry names that have appeared at the Bucks County Playhouse over the years, I've been most impressed with Robert Redford's two stints on our stage," Alexander Fraser, producing director of Bucks County Playhouse, said in a statement.
In "Tiger at the Gate," which retold the Trojan War, Redford played the role of Paris, a handsome party boy. In his memoir, Redford recalled the director recommending that he dye his hair blond. That became part of his all-American look in the decades that followed. Later in 1959, Redford made his Broadway debut in "Tall Story."
Robert Redford, shown in 1959, got his start in professional theater at the Bucks County Playhouse in the late 1950s and early 1960s before making it big in Hollywood.
Redford returned to the Bucks County Playhouse in 1963 for director Mike Nichols' of production "Nobody Loves Me," a play about a newlywed couple that rents an apartment in a New York City brownstone. He played husband, Paul, and it came to be considered one of his breakout roles. In 1967, Redford went on co-star with Jane Fonda in the film adaptation of the play, by then renamed "Barefoot in the Park."
Before the Bucks County Playhouse celebrated its 75th anniversary, Fraser said he extended an invitation to Redford.
"He replied immediately, reflecting on fond memories of New Hope and the importance of the Playhouse to his career," Fraser said. "Because of COVID-19, he said he wasn't traveling, but he sent his best. We'll remember him with the greatest respect."
Redford's memorable acting roles include "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Way We Were," "The Great Gatsby," "All The President's Men" and "The Natural." As a director, he won an Oscars for "Ordinary People." He also directed "A River Runs Through It," which won nominated for three Academy Awards.
