Today we lost one of cinema’s most beloved, iconic, and enduring actors. Robert Redford has sadly passed at the age of 89. Like many actors, he started his career in theatre and television, appearing in multiple TV shows in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, including The Untouchables, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Route 66, and The Twilight Zone, and found success on Broadway in the original 1963 cast of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park.
He made his big-screen debut in an uncredited role in Tall Story (1960) alongside Anthony Perkins and Jane Fonda (also her film debut). As he began to experience greater success on Broadway, he found himself getting more movie parts, including the role of Wade Lewis, a bisexual movie star in 1965’s Inside Daisy Clover, which won him a Golden Globe for Best New Star. His status continued to grow with acclaimed performances in the likes of the romantic comedy 1967’s Barefoot in the Park opposite Jane Fonda and the 1969 western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid alongside Paul Newman.
By the 1970s, Redford was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, appearing in a string of blockbuster smashes including The Sting and All the President’s Men. He continued to work solidly throughout the decades that followed, appearing in a vast range of movies spanning a plethora of styles and genres, including acclaimed performances in Indecent Proposal, The Horse Whisperer, All Is Lost, Pete’s Dragon, and as Alexander Pierce in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame. Outside of acting, he was an accomplished director, helming the likes of The Conspirator, The Horse Whisperer, and A Civil Action, among others.
Truly one of a kind, with an inimitable natural charisma, magnetic screen presence, and the ability to bring depth and subtlety to a wide range of roles, here are 5 of Robert Redford’s greatest movies.
‘The Candidate’ (1972)
Written by Jeremy Larner, a speechwriter for Senator Eugene J. McCarthy during McCarthy’s campaign for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination, The Candidate is a political comedy that sees Robert Redford taking on the role of Bill McKay – an idealistic lawyer who finds himself thrust into the murky world of politics.
After being reluctantly persuaded to run for office, the movie documents his political journey, highlighting the gap between political ideals and the realities of winning an election as he navigates political strategy, media scrutiny, and the compromises of modern politics.
Redford Cements Himself as One of Hollywood’s Finest Leading Men
Combining sharp satire, political drama, and social commentary, it was an overwhelming hit with critics, scoring an impressive 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and scooping the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Robert Redford’s restrained performance balances charm, idealism, and vulnerability, making McKay a highly relatable and human character. Few actors have the natural charisma of Redford, but here he combines that charisma with subtle nuance and emotional depth, revealing McKay’s inner conflicts and moral quandaries without ever feeling forced or melodramatic.
‘All Is Lost’ (2013)
The most recent entry on this list, All Is Lost is a magnificent cinematic feat, and Redford’s performance is a masterclass in minimalist acting. It follows a nameless sailor stranded at sea as he fights for survival against an increasingly dangerous storm and dwindling supplies.
Redford Carries ‘All Is Lost’ as the Sole Actor
As the sole actor with practically no dialogue, Redford conveys every emotion purely through his physical performance whilst simultaneously driving the narrative and sustaining an intense, relentless sense of tension. This move away from traditional dialogue-driven acting was a bold choice, especially so late in his career, but Redford tackles the task with aplomb, making every facial expression, grunt, groan, and movement count.
‘The Sting’ (1973)
Not only Redford’s most commercially successful film but one of the most successful of all time (when adjusted for inflation), The Sting is a quintessential caper movie that sees him paired with Paul Newman as two professional grifters looking for the next big score. What follows is an elaborate, high-stakes scam carried out against a dangerous mob boss. Full of twists, turns, double-crosses, and misdirection, the movie was a roaring success, winning seven of its 10 Oscar nominations and earning a phenomenal $257 million on its $5.5 million budget.
The Sting Was a Huge Blockbuster Smash
The pair’s on-screen chemistry is infectious, with Redford in particular being singled out for his sharp, playful, and layered performance, which earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. It’s one of those performances that makes you forget you’re watching one of the biggest stars on the planet and instead effortlessly immerses you into the action, draws you into the con, and has you hooked on every twist and turn.
‘All the President’s Men’ (1976)
All the President’s Men is a biographical political thriller film about the Watergate scandal that brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon. Based on the 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two journalists who investigated the scandal for The Washington Post, they are portrayed by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, respectively.
‘All the President’s Men’ Is an All-Time Great
Sitting at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is regarded by many as one of the most important political movies of all time, with many themes feeling even more relevant today. Both Hoffman and Redford deliver stellar performances that masterfully convey the tension and moral urgency that their real-life counterparts would have experienced, as well as the mixture of courage, exhilaration, paranoia, and self-doubt. Elsewhere, the movie was praised for its direction, script, and verisimilitude, making it a standout movie in Redford’s long and celebrated career.
‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (1969)
Selected in 2003 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” it’s wild to think that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was met with mixed reviews and a lukewarm critical reception at the time of its release. Nevertheless, the movie went on to become a huge box office success and is now considered not only one of the greatest westerns of all time but one of the greatest movies ever made.
An Iconic Film From an Iconic Actor
An iconic pairing, Paul Newman and Robert Redford star as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, respectively — two outlaws on the run from a group of vigilantes after a string of train robberies. Ahead of its time, its witty repartee between the two leads and its blend of humor and danger have influenced dozens of movies across the western, heist, and buddy cop genres. Having been retrospectively reappraised in the years that followed, critics agree that not only is the duo’s chemistry one of the most magnetic ever committed to film, but the movie’s deliberately measured pacing, sharp storytelling, and stylish direction make it a must-see not just for fans of Redford, but for fans of cinema in general.
