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LAST UPDATE | 16 Mar
BARBRA STREISAND HAS paid tribute to her friend and former co-star Robert Redford at the Academy Awards.
The legendary US actor died last September at the age of 89. His career spanned more than six decades, during which he won numerous accolades, including an Oscar.
Redford and Streisand starred together in the 1973 romantic drama The Way We Were.
The 83-year-old actress appeared on stage at the conclusion of the Oscars ‘in memoriam’ segment, which sees tributes paid to those in the film industry who have died in the last year.
She described Redford as a “brilliant subtle actor” and recalled their wonderful time “playing off of each other” during the making of the classic love story.
She also told the story of how he had initially turned down the part in The Way We Were because he felt his character Hubbell “lacked backbone”, before later joining the film.
“Bob had real backbone on and off the screen. He spoke up to defend freedom of the press, protect the environment and encouraged new voices at his Sundance institute,” Streisand said, to a round of applause from the crowd.
He was thoughtful and bold. I called him an intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail. I miss him now more than ever.
Streisand said Redford enjoyed teasing her and would jokingly call her Babs. This continued for years, she said, remembering a phone call they shared before the actor’s death.
“As we were hanging up he said ‘Babs, I love you dearly and I always will’,” she said. “And in the last note I ever wrote to Bob, I wrote ‘I love you too’, and I signed it Babs.”
Streisand concluded her tribute by singing a portion of the title song from The Way We Were.
Opening the ‘in memoriam’ segment, actor Billy Crystal led tributes to his old friend Rob Reiner and his wife Michele.
The acclaimed actor and director was found dead alongside his wife Michele Singer Reiner at their home in LA last December. Their son Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty to their murders.
Crystal said he first met Reiner when he was cast as his best friend in an episode of All in the Family. “It went so well that Rob said, ‘It was fun playing your best friend. Why don’t we keep it going?’,” he said.
He listed some of Reiner’s films, including This Is Spinal Tap, Misery, When Harry Met Sally and Stand By Me.
“My friend Rob’s movies will last for lifetimes because they were about what makes us laugh and cry, and what we aspire to be: Far better in his eyes, far kinder, far funnier, and far more human.”
Crystal described the loss of the Reiners as “immeasurable”.
“To the millions who have enjoyed his films all these years, I want you to know here and around the world, how many times Rob told me that it meant everything to him that his work meant something to you.
“And for us who had the privilege of working with and knowing him and loving him, all we can say is, buddy, what fun we had storming the castle.”
Concluding his tribute, Crystal was then joined on stage by other actors who had starred in Reiner’s films, including Meg Ryan, Kathy Bates and Demi Moore.
Actress Rachel McAdams also paid tribute to the “icon” Diane Keaton during the segment. Keaton died last October at the age of 79.
“Annie Hall, The Godfather, Reds, and that’s just her first decade,” said McAdams, who played Keaton’s daughter in the 2005 film The Family Stone.
“For over 50 years, luminous on screen and indelible in life, believe me when I say there isn’t an actress of my generation who is not inspired by and enthralled with her absolute singularity.”
Others remembered in the ‘in memoriam’ segment included Catherine O’Hara,Robert Duvall, Claudia Cardinale, Val Kilmer, Diane Ladd, Pauline Collins, Michael Madsen and Giorgio Armani.
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