Robert Redford, who had a brief cameo in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” is now retired from acting. TheWrap honors the great actor by looking back at 15 of his most memorable movies as both actor and director.
Redford has played just about every character, from a Western outlaw to a talented American skier.
“Barefoot in the Park” (1967)
One of Redford’s early films is an old fashioned romantic comedy starring Redford and Jane Fonda as two newlyweds who are complete opposites.
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969)
Redford plays the outlaw Sundance Kid opposite Paul Newman’s Butch Cassidy in this critically acclaimed Western that won four Academy Awards and is ranked as the 50th greatest American film by the American Film Institute.
“Downhill Racer” (1969)
Redford plays an overly confident competitive skier who is incapable of understanding or being involved in anything but himself. Roger Ebert called it “the best movie ever made about sports — without really being about sports at all.”
“The Candidate” (1972)
Redford plays a no-name Democratic senatorial candidate who is running in a race he can’t possibly win, so he ends up saying whatever he wants during his campaign. This 1972 satirical film continues to be relevant.
“The Way We Were” (1973)
A romantic drama about an activist Jew (Barbra Streisand) and a carefree WASP (Redford) who fall in love in the wake of World War II.
The film was a major box office success grossing just under $50 million domestically.
“The Sting” (1973)
Redford re-teamed with Paul Newman and received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as a con man in the Best Picture-winning film.
“Three Days of the Condor” (1975)
The cultural impact of this film can still be seen as it continues to be referenced in modern-day television and movies. It’s about a bookish CIA agent (Redford) who returns to the office to find all his colleagues have been murdered.
“All the President’s Men” (1976)
Arguably one of the best films of all time, the fact-based drama helped create a generation of journalists. Redford played Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward who teamed with Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) to report on the Watergate scandal that brought down the Richard Nixon presidency.
“Ordinary People” (1980)
Redford’s directorial debut earned him the Academy Award for Best Director — and the film both Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay. Mary Tyler Moore was nominated for Best Actress for her role as an overbearing suburban mom.
“The Natural” (1984)
Redford stars as a legendary baseball player in an adaptation of Bernard Malamud’s novel that earned four Oscar nominations.
“Out of Africa” (1985)
In the Oscar-winning romantic drama loosely based on Karen Blixen’s autobiographical book, Meryl Streep stars as an aristocratic woman who settles in Africa with her husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and falls for an area hunter (Redford).
“A River Runs Through It” (1992)
Redford returns to the director’s chair in this critically acclaimed coming-of-age film set during World War I and the Great Depression. It stars a young Brad Pitt and was nominated for three Academy Awards.
“Quiz Show” (1994)
Redford picked up an Oscar nomination as Best Director for this film about the 1950s quiz show scandals, with Ralph Fiennes as a telegenic and WASPy college professor who’s fed answers to keep him on the show longer.
“All Is Lost” (2013)
The film literally stars one person — Robert Redford. The actor doesn’t disappoint in the film about a man on a fancy sailboat that becomes disabled in a sudden storm at sea. The survival drama received rave reviews and made the Top 10 list of multiple critics.
“The Old Man & the Gun” (2018)
Redford earned a Golden Globe nomination playing a real-life modern-day version of Sundance Kid, a criminal named Forrest Tucker who escaped from San Quentin at age 70 and then staged a series of bank heists.
