Hollywood star and indie film champ Robert Redford turns 80
Jochen Kürten / adAugust 17, 2016
He's been a spy, an adventurer and Dan Rather, and he's made an indecent proposal. As Robert Redford turns 80, we look back at one of the most impressive acting and directing careers in Hollywood.
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Robert Redford turns 80
Robert Redford is an unfaltering optimist, a brilliant actor and director, and the founder of the Sundance Film Festival. On his 80th birthday on August 18, he can look back on an absolutely outstanding career.
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Never give in
"Der Unbeugsame," or "the unyielding," was the German title of Robert Redford's 1984 film "The Natural." It was well chosen since it doesn't only fit this sport drama, but also Redford's own career.
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Off to a slow start
In retrospect, it seems strange that the young and charismatic actor Robert Redford had such a hard time getting started in the mid 1960s. Redford made his debut in the television series "Maverick" to then star opposite Natalie Wood in "This Property is Condemned." This latter became his first big-screen success.
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Redford's funny side
It took Hollywood producers quite a long time to appreciate Redford's talent. The young actor also showed some skill as a comedian when he co-starred with Jane Fonda in the light-hearted 1967 film "Barefoot in the Park," which was based on a Neil Simon Play.
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Two scoundrels
Robert Redford then went on to play one of the scoundrels in the 1969 western comedy "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Co-star Paul Newman played the second bandit. The film title obviously had a special significance for Redford who later attached it to the indie film festival he helped film in Utah - the Sundance Film Festival.
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A serious western
Westerns remained one of Redford's favorite film genres. However, "Jeremiah Johnson" differed significantly in tone from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Typical of the later western films, it presented its themes in an elegiac, serious and critical fashion.
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Just a fictional candidate
In 1972, Redford's career seemed to take on a new turn. In "The Candidate" (pictured is a promotion tour for the film), the actor plays a US presidential candidate who, at first, is not given the slightest chance. This role just remained a role for Robert Redford - although quite a few Americans would probably have voted for him if only he had actually run for president.
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The breakthrough
One year later, Robert Redford achieved his big breakthrough as a major Hollywood star. In "The Sting," he starred once again opposite Paul Newman, the two of them playing two friendly gangsters. Inspired by a true story, the comedy became a huge box office hit and won seven Oscars.
Robert Redford was given an opportunity to present his sensitive and charming side in the 1973 romantic drama "The Way We Were," directed by Sydney Pollack. Barbara Streisand also starred in the post-war love story, which is considered one of the best romantic movies ever.
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The making of a classic
In those years, was unstoppable. In the 1974 film adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel "The Great Gatsby," Redford could present all his manifold talents - while looking incredibly good.
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Political entertainment
The 1976 Watergate film "The Untouchables" became another legendary movie starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. They play two journalists, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who triggered the scandal around President Richard Nixon. The film is considered a pioneer in combining both politics and entertainment.
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The privilege of choice
Redford was so much in demand that he could afford the luxury of picking the roles he wanted, and he always chose roles he could identify with. The latter was undoubtedly the case with Sydney Pollack's rodeo western "The Electric Horseman."
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'Out of Africa'
It was also in of Pollack's films six years later that Robert Redford's delivered what is said to be his best performance. The romantic melodrama "Out of Africa" is set in Kenya during colonial times. Redford starred opposite Meryl Streep in the film, which was awarded seven Oscars.
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Money, sex and ethics
The 1993 movie "Indecent Proposal" was a highly-grossing blockbuster. Redford, playing a billionaire, makes an indecent proposal to a married woman played by Demi Moore, offering her $1 million for a one-night stand. Back then, the controversial film triggered a heated public debate.
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Espionage with Brad Pitt
From the 1990s onwards, screen appearances by Redford became increasingly rare as the actor got more involved in making his own movies. So far, Redford has directed nine films. In 2001, he returned to his familiar post in front of the camera to star opposite Brad Pitt in the political thriller "Spy Game."
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A celebrity plays a celebrity
Following his legendary solo performance lasting 100 minutes in the sailing drama "All is Lost" (2013), Redford acted in his latest film in 2015. In "Truth" he plays the renowned US television host Dan Rather. Redford's latest directing effort is the comedy "Pete's Dragon," which is currently in movie theaters.
Many actors find themselves in the directors' chair at some point during their career, though the outcome can vary. One of these actors is Robert Redford, who earned a solid reputation as an outstanding and charismatic actor - but not so much as a brilliant director.
Some critics consider the nine films he directed as the product of a side job of an actor who still had energy left over off camera.
Ralph Fiennes starring in Robert Redford's 1994 film "Quiz Show"Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Some of the films directed by Redford are perfectly crafted highly emotional melodramas, including his debut "Ordinary People" (1980), which was awarded an Oscar, "A River Runs Through It" (1992), "Quiz Show" (1994) and "The Horse Whisperer" (1998).
Political statements and commitment to social causes seem to dominate some of Redford's latest works, including "Lions for Lambs" (2007) and "The Company You Keep" (2012).
Redford's social commitment and critical awareness
There could be two reasons for Robert Redford's decision to become a director. Born on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, he has always been an independent, autonomous and self-reliant person. His fame and success never drove him from one Hollywood party to the next.
Totally laid back - Redford in 1988 in his second film "The Milagro Beanfield War"Image: Imago/EntertainmentPictures
Already at a young age, Redford focused on doing his own thing - by consciously choosing roles that had meaning for him, as well as the directors he worked with. His favorite director was Sydney Pollack with whom he worked a total of six times.
But then Redford came to realize that the only way he could fulfill his desire to do his own thing was to become a director himself. In some of these films, Redford acted as well, in others he left the acting to his colleagues.
A staunch supporter of the Democrats
Robert Redford has always been a politically and socially motivated person and a vocal support of the Democratic Party - which may be yet another reason for his huge success as an actor and director.
After all, it's not always easy to finance films that are critical of the political system, especially when expensive names are to play in them. That's probably why Redford felt an urge to take things into his own hands.
Redford co-starred with Meryl Streep in "Lions For Lambs" (2007)Image: Imago/EntertainmentPictures
In the early 1980s, Redford's inner distance from Hollywood's superficiality and star cult motivated him to found a small indie film festival in Utah. What came to be known as the Sundance Film Festival in 1991 developed into an important and internationally renowned platform for independent movie-making.
Robert Redford, who celebrates his 80th birthday on August 18, is still known for his extraordinarily attractive, almost boyish looks - and for simply being a nice guy, both on and off the screen.
