It doesn’t happen often that Hollywood sees the passing of a legend whose work covered six decades, redefined independent filmmaking, and gave the world some of the most compelling on-screen moments in movie history. Robert Redford, who died at 89, was not only a star he was a storyteller, a risk-taker, and an individual whose charm never abated, from when he portrayed a weathered sailor to when he acted out a suave outlaw.
From the ’60s bohemian romance to the brooding ’70s political thrillers and soulful dramas of his post-’70s years, Redford’s filmography is a snapshot of changing times in American cinema. His films aren’t movies so much as photographs of style, politics, and human relationships. And the news? Most of his most enduring performances are a click away.
For those who are willing to re-visit or explore his greatness, here are a list of signature performances that demonstrate Redford’s artistry, and where to watch them.
1. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
Before he was conjoined in the popular imagination with rugged Westerns and political activism, Redford won over moviegoers as buttoned-down newlywed Paul Bratter opposite free-spirited Corie. Based on Neil Simon’s successful Broadway play, the film is a light, romantic comedy showcasing Redford’s ability at subtlety and chemistry-based storytelling. Fonda once admitted to The Guardian that she was “always in love with Robert Redford,” an affection that’s easy to see while watching their on-screen repartee.
The part was a breakthrough not only proving Redford could do a leading-man movie with humor and sensitivity. It’s a reminder of his range at the start, and how even within light entertainment, he brought depth to the most innocent of scenes.
2. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
This was the film that cemented Redford’s reputation in films. As the Sundance Kid, he and Paul Newman’s Butch Cassidy remapped the Western with humor, camaraderie, and effortless cool. Casting was almost a misfire studio bosses insisted on more stars but Newman only signed up provided Redford was included, instructing producers he wanted to collaborate with “an actor.” That decision sparked not just a box-office phenomenon, but a lifelong friendship.
Their on-screen chemistry was lightning in a bottle, and the film’s combination of charm and pathos still holds up. It’s also the performance that linked Redford’s name to one of the cinema’s all-time great screen couples.
3. Downhill Racer (1969)
In Michael Ritchie’s directorial debut, Redford stars as David Chappellet, a driven skier chasing Olympic success. Roger Ebert called it “the best movie ever made about sports without really being about sports at all.” It’s an examination of a character given over to obsession, isolation, and the cost of one-pointed ambition.
For Redford, this was a personal passion that provided hard-won lessons on how Hollywood dislikes working on smaller films. Despite the lack of the studio’s support, the performance remains one of his finest, proving he had the ability to lose charm in order to reveal something colder, sharper, and inherently human.
4. The Sting (1973)
Back with Newman and director George Roy Hill, Redford played the role of Johnny Hooker, Depression-era con man in a plot that’s as sinister as it is entertaining. Sweeping the Oscars, the film won Best Picture, and earned Redford his sole Best Actor nomination.
The pleasure of The Sting is in its light, airborne tone Newman and Redford “bounce off each other real well,” as Newman once said and in the way Redford balances bluster with vulnerability. It’s a lesson in egoless star power.
5. The Way We Were (1973)
Few love dramas have endured as this one has. Portraying the golden-boy writer Hubbell Gardiner seems to have been tailor-made for Redford, whose affair with Barbra Streisand’s politically charged Katie is as ill-fated as it is unforgettable. The making of the film was notoriously troubled, but its emotional impact and that theme song have kept it in the public imagination, even being name-checked in “Sex and the City.” Redford’s performance is a masterclass in restraint, inviting the audience to feel the bite of what isn’t spoken.
6. All the President’s Men (1976)
In Alan J. Pakula’s political thriller, Redford plays Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, teaming up with Dustin Hoffman’s Carl Bernstein to break the Watergate story. The film’s intensity has not dated it’s actually even sharper in its message of speaking truth to power now.
Redford was drawn to the real dynamic between the reporters: “One guy was a Jew, one guy was a WASP… They didn’t like each other, but they had to work together.” That tension supports the verisimilitude of the movie, which maintains the film as compelling today as it was in 1976.
7. Out of Africa (1985)
Shared with Meryl Streep in Sydney Pollack’s sweeping romance, Redford played Denys Finch Hatton, a big game hunter whose free-spirited nature both captivates and infuriates Streep’s Karen Blixen. Pollack opted against an English accent for Redford, believing it would prove distracting a choice that kept focus on his own natural charm.
While critics were split, the film took Best Picture and still is a visual feast, with Redford’s acting bringing its sweep down to earth in intimate, human moments.
8. All Is Lost (2013)
In this ultraparamount survival drama, Redford carries the entire movie on 51 words of dialogue. Cast as a nameless sailor lost in the Indian Ocean, he provides a performance so physical and visceral that it earned him the New York Film Critics Circle’s Best Actor award.
“It’s a clean cinematic experience,” he told The Hollywood Reporter, and it’s also a testament to his willingness, even at an advanced age in his life, to risk everything by stripping away every safety net.
9. The Old Man & The Gun (2018)
As Forrest Tucker, a urbane career crook, Redford ended his acting career with a warm and endearing note. Directed by David Lowery, the film is like a love letter to Redford’s career saluting the twinkle in his eye and the beauty in his work. At 82, he proved that charisma is something that doesn’t fade with age. Instead, it becomes something richer and more resonant.
Robert Redford’s filmography is greater than a series of performances it’s an echo of changing periods, shifting aesthetics, and a life constructed on instinct and honor. Whether one looks to his early romance comedies, his groundbreaking political thrillers, or his late-period indie treasures, every role provides a fragment of what made him extraordinary. For long-time fans and newcomers alike, watching these movies isn’t mere entertainment its a means of preserving a true legacy.
