The Sundance Kid. Jay Gatsby. Bob Woodward. These characters are synonymous with Robert Redford.
It’s also hard to narrow down Redford’s top roles over his six-decade career, as the 85-year-old celebrates his birthday Wednesday.
The California native has been Hollywood’s top A-list star since he stepped onto the scene in 1962’s “War Hunt.” And what a long and interesting life he has led since.
Aside from starring in groundbreaking movies such as “The Great Gatsby,” “All the President’s Men” and “Jeremiah Johnson,” Redford has also dipped his toes into the directing and producing ponds.
He took the directing reigns on “Ordinary People,” “Quiz Show” and “The Horse Whisperer.” In addition to being in front of and behind the camera, the Wildwood Enterprises producer has been heavily involved with Utah’s Sundance Film Festival since the 1970s. He then founded the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Channel; both entities used to help foster independent filmmakers.
Here are Redford’s Top 5 film roles over the decades.
“Barefoot in the Park” (1967)
What do you get when you mix an uptight, stuffed-shirt man with a fun, free-spirited lady? A rockin’ marital comedy starring Redford and Jane Fonda in the second of their four movie collaborations. Based on the 1963 play by Neil Simon, the story follows a pair of newlyweds whose very passionate relationship evolves from amazing to bad to worse to great again as they live in a five-story NYC walk-up apartment Ah, young love.
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969)
It really doesn’t get any better when you blend two of the best actors of the 20th century. Redford starred with Paul Newman in this action film about two Wild West outlaws who go on the run from a US posse after they leave a trail of train robberies in their path.
The George Roy Hill-directed movie gave birth to one of the funniest and most iconic scenes of Newman and Redford’s careers. As the pair were trying to hide from their pursuers, the duo decides to jump off of a 100-foot cliff into a river. As the two leap, Redford utters a certain expletive that wasn’t typically heard in a 1960s film.
“The Way We Were” (1973)
“Memories/Light the corners of my mind/Misty watercolor memories/Of the way we were.” Surely, it’s a song you’ve listened to on repeat. Barbra Streisand lent her voice to this sweet melody for her film co-starring Redford. Streisand’s wild and headstrong Katie Morosky falls in love with Redford’s idealistic Hubbell Gardiner.
But alas, their differences are too immense to stay together and, spoiler alert, they go their separate ways by the end of the film. Still, the movie is what romance films are truly made of.
“Indecent Proposal” (1993)
What would you do if you were married and a millionaire offered you big bucks to sleep with him? Well, this is exactly the dilemma young couple Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson must deal with in this romantic drama. Redford’s character propositioned the high-school sweethearts with an “indecent proposal.” He offers Moore’s character $1 million to spend one night of passion with him during a Las Vegas getaway. Harrelson’s character becomes insecure and unsure of the idea despite needing the money to pay rent, bills and finance the couple’s dream home. What to do, what to do?
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe always seems to round up the hottest stars in the film business. Redford got his chance to shine in this MCU flick, playing S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Alexander Pierce. Chris Evans’ Captain America must fight Pierce as well as several HYDRA agents who want to … you guessed it, take over the world.
When asked what drew him to this particular role, Redford told the Los Angeles Times, that it was different from his usual line of work and that he “wanted to experience this new form of filmmaking that’s taken over where you have kind of cartoon characters brought to life through high technology.” Redford even teamed with his “The Horse Whisperer” co-star Scarlett Johansson for the superhero movie.
Bonus: “Ordinary People” (1980)
While Redford didn’t exactly star in this Oscar-winning movie about a teen who comes home to his family following time in rehab after a suicide attempt, we’ve included the film on this list for several reasons.
Redford made his directorial debut with the flick and won his first Academy Award for Best Director in 1981 for his work. Young star Timothy Hutton (who was 20 at the time of release) won for Best Supporting Actor. Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Donald Sutherland completed the talented cast of the dark family drama.
