His first big break came in 1963, when he starred on Broadway in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, which he would later reprise.

He often starred alongside many of Hollywood’s leading ladies at the time, like Barbara Streisand in The Way We Were in 1973, and Jane Fonda in the 1967 film, Barefoot in the Park.

The actor began directing later in life and won an Oscar for Ordinary People in 1980.

He founded the nonprofit Sundance Institute in 1981, which became a staple in the arts world for years to come..
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In 1984, he transformed a struggling film festival into what’s now known as The Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, Utah.

It was a home for budding filmmakers to make a statement, famously featuring directors like