Redford is calling it a day at 81

Robert Redford, pictured, the screen legend and Oscar winner, has announced that he’s retiring from acting at the grand old age of 81, with upcoming movie The Old Man & The Gun his last gig in front of the camera.

The actor, director and founder of the Sundance Institute and its film festival, began his career on stage 60 years ago, before moving into television and film, and eventually into directing.

“Never say never, but I pretty well concluded that this would be it for me in terms of acting,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “I’ll move toward retirement after this because I’ve been doing it since I was 21,” he said.

“I thought, well, that’s enough. And why not go out with something that’s very upbeat and positive?”

His publicist, Cindi Berger, confirmed the article was accurate.

When asked if his prospective retirement would extend to directing, his agent did not elaborate. “We’ll see about that,” Redford said.

He had indicated to his grandson in a 2016 interview that his roles in Our Souls at Night opposite Jane Fonda and Old Man & The Gun would be his last.

“I’m going to say, ‘Okay, that’s goodbye to all that,’ and then just focus on directing,” he said.

The Old Man & The Gun sees the California native play Forrest Tucker, the real-life bank robber whose criminal career and multiple escapes from prison spanned more than 60 years.

“That was a wonderful character to play at this point in my life,” Redford said.

The film, set for release in the US on September 28, also stars Oscar winners Sissy Spacek and Casey Affleck.

Director David Lowery told Empire magazine that he felt the “weight” of directing Redford in his final screen role. –