Legendary singer and actress Barbra Streisand returned to the stage at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, delivering an emotional tribute to the late actor and filmmaker Robert Redford.

Streisand, 83, performed the iconic song The Way We Were, marking her first performance at the Oscars in more than a decade.

The tribute honored Redford, who died on Sept. 16, 2025, at age 89. The ceremony, hosted by Conan O'Brien, remembered several major figures from the film industry who passed away in the past year, People reported.

Before singing, Streisand shared personal memories about working with Redford on their 1973 film The Way We Were. She recalled how she first read the script and immediately imagined Redford playing the role of Hubbell Gardiner.

"He turned it down because he said the character had no backbone, he doesn't stand for anything. And he was right," Streisand told the audience. "So many drafts later, Bob finally agreed to do it."

The film, directed by Sydney Pollack, tells the story of two very different people who fall in love during a tense period in American history.

Over time, it became a beloved Hollywood classic. The movie earned six Academy Award nominations and won two Oscars, including Best Original Song for its title track.

Barbra Streisand Shares Memories With Robert Redford

According to Deadline, Streisand said she enjoyed acting alongside Redford because of his unpredictable style. "He was a brilliant, subtle actor," she said.

"We had a wonderful time playing off each other because we never quite knew what the other one was going to do in a scene."

She also praised Redford's influence beyond acting. "He had real backbone on and off the screen," she said, noting his support for free speech and his work encouraging filmmakers through the Sundance Institute. "He was thoughtful and bold."

Streisand described Redford as an "intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail," a phrase that drew applause from the audience inside the theater.

The singer also shared a lighthearted memory about the nickname Redford used for her.

"He'd call me 'Babs,' and I'd say, 'Bob, do I look like a Babs? I'm not a Babs,'" she said, laughing. "But the way he said it made me laugh."

Years later, she recalled, the two spoke on the phone and Redford told her, "Babs, I love you dearly and I always will." Streisand said the last note she wrote to him ended with the words, "I love you, too."

Redford was known for starring in classic films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Out of Africa. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for Ordinary People and received an honorary Oscar in 2002.

Originally published on Music Times

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Oscars, Academy Awards, Barbra streisand, Robert Redford