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Robert Redford, a visionary filmmaker and Hollywood titan with golden-boy looks, died Tuesday at 89, leaving behind a legacy woven into the fabric of American cinema. As fans around the world mourn, many are turning back to the screen to celebrate his career — from his star-making turn as the Sundance Kid in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” to his Oscar-nominated role in “The Sting,” his riveting portrayal of Bob Woodward in “All the President’s Men” and his later triumph in “All Is Lost.”
More than just a leading man, Redford embodied the rare crossover of a movie star and cultural icon. He brought political urgency to mainstream cinema in the 1970s and later changed the landscape of independent filmmaking by founding Sundance, which became a launchpad for countless voices outside the studio system.
“In his ’70s heyday, few actors possessed Redford’s star wattage, aided considerably by his tousled blond locks, granite jaw and million-dollar smile,” Steve Chagollan wrote in Redford’s obituary for Variety. “With his environmental activism, anti-establishment approach to filmmaking and pioneering efforts in providing a platform for indie filmmakers, Redford was able to use his celebrity to subvert the status quo while advancing his own creative agenda.”
His heydey began in the ’70s with a string of films that made him a superstar. Starting with successful Western “Jeremiah Johnson,” he then reunited with Newman, and earned an Oscar nomination, for “The Sting,” the Motion Picture Academy’s pick for best picture of 1973, and would become the No. 1 box office star for the next three years. Also in 1973, he cemented his role as a romantic lead opposite Barbra Streisand in “The Way We Were.” Despite lukewarm reviews, it made $50 million dollars and bolstered his smoldering reputation.
Below, check out 10 of Redford’s most iconic films over the years — and where to stream them online.
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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
![BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, from left: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, 1969. TM and Copyright © 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved/Courtesy: Everett Collection.]()
Image Credit: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection About: The buddy-western thriller that made Redford a household name, pairing him with Paul Newman in a genre-bending classic
Where to Stream: Rent/Buy on Prime Video
Variety review: “Action dwells upon the misadventures of the pair as they pursue the outlaw trail, but more importantly, packs the type of fast movement the title indicates.”
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The Sting (1973)
![THE STING, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, 1973]()
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection About: A stylish con-artist caper that reunited Redford and Newman, winning Best Picture and showcasing his effortless charisma.
Where to Stream: Rent/Buy on Prime Video
Variety review: “Paul Newman and Robert Redford are superbly reteamed, this time as a pair of con artists in Chicago of the ’30s, out to fleece a bigtime racketeer brilliantly cast with and played by Robert Shaw. George Roy Hill’s outstanding direction of David S. Ward‘s finely-crafted story of multiple deception and surprise ending will delight both mass and class audiences. Extremely handsome production values and a great supporting cast round out the virtues.”
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The Way We Were (1973)
![THE WAY WE WERE, Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, 1973]()
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection About: A romantic juggernaut with Barbra Streisand, its cultural staying power sealed by the title ballad.
Where to Stream (1973): Rent/buy on Prime Video
Variety review: “The film version of Arthur Laurents‘ book is a distended, talky, redundant and moody melodrama, combining young love, relentless 1930s and 1940s nostalgia, and spiced artifically with Hollywood Red-hunt pellets.”
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Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
![JEREMIAH JOHNSON, Robert Redford, 1972, (c) Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection]()
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection About: Redford as a mountain man retreating into the wilderness, epitomizing 1970s New Hollywood ruggedness.
Where to Stream: Tubi
Variety review: “Robert Redford, as Johnson, has a solid stamina, a fine feel for the speech of the time, giving an auto-didactic flair as he sometimes comments the actions.”
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Three Days of the Condor (1975)
![THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, 1975]()
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection About: A tense Cold War thriller that tapped into post-Watergate paranoia and Redford’s growing political edge.
Where to Stream: Prime Video with MGM+
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All the President’s Men (1976)
![robert redford movies streaming]()
About: His turn as journalist Bob Woodward in the Watergate exposé defined political thriller and underscored his activist streak.
Where to Stream: Rent/Buy on prime Video
Variety review: “‘All the President’s Men,’ from the Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein book about their experiences uncovering the Watergate coverup for The Washington Post, emerges close to being an American Z. Robert Redford and especially Dustin Hoffman excel in their starring roles.”
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The Natural (1984)
![THE NATURAL, from left: Robert Redford, Richard Farnsworth, 1984, © TriStar/courtesy Everett Collection, NATL 061, Photo by: Everett Collection (22152)]()
Image Credit: Everett Collection (22152) About: A mythic, all-American baseball tale with Redford as a flawed hero whose bat crack is still legendary on screen.
Where to Stream: Rent/Buy on Prime Video
Variety review: “The Natural” is an impeccably made, but quite strange, fable about success and failure in America. Redford is perfectly cast as the wary, guarded Hobbs.
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Out of Africa (1985)
![OUT OF AFRICA, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, 1985. (c) MCA/Universal: Courtesy Everett Collection.]()
Image Credit: ©MCA/Courtesy Everett Collection About: A sweeping romance opposite Meryl Streep that cemented Redford’s status as a leading man in prestige cinema.
Where to Stream: Rent/Buy on Prime Video
Variety review: “At two-and-a-half hours, ‘Out of Africa’ certainly makes a leisurely start into its story. Just short of boredom, however, the picture picks up pace and becomes a sensitive, enveloping romantic tragedy. Nonetheless it’s a long way to go for a downbeat ending, which may hurt broad appeal.”
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A River Runs Through It (1992)
![A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, Brad Pitt, 1992. (c)Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection.]()
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection About: As director, Redford brought lyrical beauty to this Montana family saga, earning an Oscar for Best Cinematography and launching Brad Pitt.
Where to Stream: Prime Video with MGM+
Variety review: “A skilled, careful adaptation of a much-admired story, ‘A River Runs Through It’ is a convincing trip back in time to a virtually vanished American West, as well as a nicely observed family study. Old-fashioned, literary and restrained, it’s Robert Redford’s third directorial outing.”
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All Is Lost (2013)
![ALL IS LOST, Robert Redford, 2013. ph: Daniel Daza/©Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection]()
Image Credit: ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection About: A late-career triumph, with Redford carrying an almost wordless survival story at seam proving his star power never waned.
Where to Stream: Prime Video
Variety review: “J.C. Chandor avoids the sophomore slump with an impressively spare, nearly dialogue-free stranded-at-sea drama starring a superb Robert Redford.”
