I’ve been holding off on doing a Man Candy Monday feature on Robert Redford for years because … well … I found the idea incredibly intimidating. For starters, the list of his credits on IMDB spans over half a century’s worth of screentime. But really, it was the question of how do you talk about someone like Redford, someone so incredibly iconic and imprinted on the DNA of modern filmmaking? How do you even start? Well, his passing on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89 kind of forced me to finally confront the monumental task of giving this cultural titan a proper Frock Flicks send off. Redford wasn’t just a pretty face, he was also a decent human being, which in this day and age is saying a lot. I think more than anything, he would like to be remembered for dedicating his fame and fortune to forcing environmental conservation awareness in the mainstream; his career was peppered throughout with films he both acted in and directed that broadcast a clear agenda about respecting the world we live in, whether it’s through conservation or finding commonality with other humans despite cultural and racial differences. The better we treat our planet and one another, the better we all become. He also was a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ and women’s rights.
Thank you, Robert Redford, for not sucking.
Maverick (1960)
Tate (1960)
The Iceman Cometh (1960)
Whispering Smith (1961)
The Untouchables (1963)
The Virginian (1963)
This Property Is Condemned (1966)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Tell Them Willy Boy Is Here (1969)
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
The Sting (1973)
The Way We Were (1973)
The Great Gatsby (1974)
The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
The Natural (1984)
Out of Africa (1985)
Havana (1990)
Do you have a favorite Robert Redford role? Tell us in the comments!
Not explicitly Robert Redford related but an anecdote I’ve always loved from A Bridge Too Far, related by Anthony Hopkins. Supposedly Lt Col. John Frost (who Hopkins played in the film and who was one of the military consultants while shooting) lectured Hopkins for running from cover to cover during the filming of the battle for Arnhem. According to Hopkins, Frost told him that a British officer would never have run, but would have shown his disdain for enemy fire by walking. Hopkins said he tried, but as soon as the firing started, instincts took over, and he ran as fast as he could
That’s hilarious! I would have done the same. :)
Surprised that you didn’t include “Situation Hopeless — But Not Serious” (1965) which is set in the years after WWII. I remember watching it as a teen and being shocked that Robert Redford was in it. For my generation, he was born fully formed as Butch Cassidy.
Or the Sundance Kid? They merge in my mind. . .
I love Havana. Heartbreaking story. Great actors. Beautiful cinematography. Not streaming but maybe someone will rescue it from oblivion.
I love Jeremiah Johnson. One little detail I noticed about his costume. You can see he is wearing army trousers with a yellow stripe when we first see him. He asks about how the “war with the President of Mexico went” early on in the movie which makes me think maybe he deserted. (Can’t blame him!)
Given he seems to have stake
money for his life as a Mountain Man, my own guess was that he’d served with US Forces at one point, but been mustered out with back pay rather than making a run for it m.
Hands down, it’s “The Sting” for me. Brilliant narrative and great roles for both Redford and Newman. By the way, the movie was set in 1936.
I very much grew up watching The Natural over and over with my dad and I adore it. I watched again recently, and although there are definite 1980s tainted issues, there are also some great historical details in the costuming. The baseball uniform sure looks to be made of wool, for instance. The separate collar is evident when he is “young” although the actor sure doesn’t look like a 18-20 year old. I think that the menswear is much more accurate than what Kim Basinger wears.
I agree. Only a few parts made me think 1980s. Glenn Close has some very authentic looking outfits as well.
The Sting is probably my favorite RR film. With a BCaSK a close second, and trailing third would be Out of Africa. Another favorite of mine is All The President’s Mem, but alas not a FF. But there are a couple on your list I need to see!
Looks like you skipped Inside Daisy Clover, which was set in the 1930s. It was made in 1963 with Natalie Wood and Christopher Plumber.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Daisy_Clover
I just watched IDC for the first time yesterday and it’s another one that’s set in the past but feels very “of the time” to when it was made.
I likewise had no idea that that GIF showed Redford.
Fun fact: in the superhero/alternate history comic Watchmen, in the final chapter (set in 1985) there’s a passing mention that Robert Redford is potentially going to run for president (with a character scoffing at the idea of a “cowboy actor” becoming President, a joke about Ronald Reagan, who was actually President at the time the comic was produced).
Oh my gosh – Daisy Clover. I remember seeing that at the drive-in, back in the days when your folks would choose a somewhat adult movie and depend on the fact that the kiddos were going to fall asleep in the back seat because it was dark. Redford’s character was a bisexual movie star who abandoned Daisy (Natalie Wood) on their honeymoon. Pretty daring for 1963 – I was only four years old, so it’s much later viewings that clued me into this film. As far as pure eye candy costuming, I’d say that “Out of Africa” and “Gatsby” are tied. Matter of fact, had to watch Gatsby again the other night. The cinematography is very soft-focused in scenes when Gatsby and Daisy are together again, giving those scenes a dream-like feeling. And Theoni Aldredge was a genius designer. (PS, if you can find the complete video for “The Will Rogers Follies” on YouTube, watch it just for her costumes, because it’s Cy Coleman and the less said about his songs, the better – she definitely knew what she was doing with those Ziegfeld Follies costumes). The thing about Redford was that he was one of the last of the old-school style movie stars where he was always himself, but squeezing into a part, if that makes any sense. I never believed for a moment that he was a British big game hunter in OoA, but he sure looked the part. Kind of like Clark Gable never did dialects. With Redford, hair was always feathered or fluffy once Brylcreem went out of style. Even in Gatsby and “The Natural,” his hair really should have been slicked back. But hey – it’s Sundance Bob. I had classmates that were drooling over him since Butch and Sundance days (and that was grade school!), but he never did it for me. Having said that, I did appreciate his environmental advocacy, and I loved the way he avoided publicity when it was still allowable in the 60s/70s. He’d talk about a project, but he was loathe to talk about himself. If only more celebrities were like that today. May he rest in peace. He’ll always be my Gatsby, inscrutable eyes, Ralph Lauren suits and all.
Theoni Aldredge was indeed a genius (Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, La Cage etc) but the costumes for ‘The Will Rogers Follies’ were by the amazing Willa Kim. Her Erte-inspired costumes for the ‘Jewels’ number were jaw-dropping. Theoni Aldredge did do the 2001 revival of ‘Follies’, the Sondheim musical – perhaps that is the confusion.
Thanks for this MCM – for some reason I thought there were more Redford/Newman collaborations!
Beauty, brains and compassion. I’m bereft. Out of Africa made me cry on the first 3 viewings – it’ll now be impossible.
Mr Redford was never been one of my favourite actors, but what I’ve seen of his work I’ve enjoyed.
It suddenly occurs to me that Mr Kevin Costner arguably built a career on roles Mr Redford had grown too old for.