Legendary actor Robert Redford died on September 16 at the age of 89, according to CNN. Tributes from fans and colleagues immediately started pouring in, and Hallmark’s “When Comes the Heart” guest star, Melissa Gilbert, shared an especially touching note about Redford.
Melissa Gilbert ‘Fell in Love’ With Robert Redford at First Sight
Shortly after news of Redford’s death emerged, Gilbert shared a throwback photo of him on her Instagram page. Her post included a lengthy caption about how much she adored him and loved having had the chance to meet him once.
Gilbert explained that when she was 11, her neighbor took a bunch of kids to see “The Great Waldo Pepper.” “The moment Robert Redford appeared onscreen I gasped and whispered, ‘I’m going to marry him.’ I fell in love that day,” she recalled.
The “When Calls the Heart” star revealed, “I spent decades watching his work as an actor, director with admiration, awe and a desperately fluttering heart.”
The Hallmark Star Eventually Met the Iconic Actor
Gilbert recalled, “Many years ago, I was on a Christmas vacation with my family at Sundance and my obsession with ‘Bob’ had become a running joke with my pal @xdancekid [Brian Wimmer], who I am thinking about and sending so much love to today.”
Wimmer is a fellow actor who was friends with Redford and worked at the actor’s iconic Sundance Mountain Resort for some time.
“One day during this trip, I was picking the kids up after skiing, in sweats, no makeup, and wild, sweaty hat hair…just not my best look. We were walking down a path to the car when I saw Jamie Redford walking towards us and then I saw Bob. My heart dropped to my feet,” Gilbert shared.
She admitted she “actually turned to run away and my boys blocked my path.” Gilbert met Redford, although she noted, “I honestly have no memory of what was said that day.”
The Legendary Actor Was ‘Everything I Imagined and More’
Gilbert was later told that Redford had invited her to a Christmas party he was hosting at his home, and she attended. She was “terrified that I’d say something or do something innately, dorkily, me. I shouldn’t have worried at all.”
Redford was “warm, inviting, engaging and funny,” Gilbert remembered. She wrote that he asked her questions about her work as the SAG president, noting she was a “woman of great power.” She added that he was generally “complimentary, supportive, interested….absolutely everything I imagined and more.”
“I will never, ever forget that wonderful night,” Gilbert added. She noted she was sending love to those who knew him and concluded, “Good night sweet prince. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
Fans flooded the comment section of Gilbert’s post with support and notes of their own heartbreak over Redford’s death.
“Man o man, I think we all were in love with him! What a beautiful human,” one fan wrote.
Another added, “Such a great memory! I have always been a gushing fan myself! Lol. He was a beautiful man inside and out. May he rest in peace.”
