5 Robert Redford movies to re-watch as visionary actor passes away at 89

For over six decades, Robert Redford has been a legendary entertainer in Hollywood, making outlaw charm, stoic grace, and quiet rebellion look effortless. His passing at 89 feels like a cinematic season ending, as he leaves behind a legacy spanning across roles that solidifies his status as one of Hollywood's greatest.

As we celebrate his life and the career he is survived by, Redford's resume includes quite a few blockbusters and indie darlings. Here are five Robert Redford films that should definitely be on your watch list, as we celebrate the man who created Sundance.

Five Robert Redford films you should watch

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

In 1969, Robert Redford starred in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, an American Western buddy film helmed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. The film has parts of it rooted in realism, as it stars Butch Cassidy, aka Robert Leroy, who is a Wild West outlaw, and Harry Longabaugh, aka the Sundance Kid, a role played to perfection by Redford.

It remains one of his most iconic films and the character that inspired his Sundance endeavor years afterward. Although it opened to lukewarm reviews, it has been considered a cult classic years after its release and remains one of the actor's most loved works across his filmography.

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here

In Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here, Robert Redford stars as Deputy Sheriff Cooper. Based on Harry Lawton's book called Willie Boy: A Desert Manhunt, the film is directed by Abraham Polonsky.

The film won Redford a BAFTA and continues to be a career-defining moment for him, as Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here was much talked about. Joining Redford in the film are Katharine Ross as Lola, Robert Blake as Willie, Susan Clark as Liz, and Barry Sullivan as Calvert.

Jeremiah Johnson

Another iconic Western film in Redford's filmography is Jeremiah Johnson, where he played the titular character based on the life of John Jeremiah Johnson, the legendary mountain man who sent shockwaves across the world with his story.

Based on Raymond Thorp and Robert Bunker's book Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson, the film was directed by Sydney Pollack and written by John Milius and Edward Anhalt. Shot in Robert Redford's own home, Jeremiah Johnson went on to become the sixth highest-grossing film of 1972 with box office earnings of $44.7 million.

The Great Gatsby

Yes, many actors have nailed the character of Jay Gatsby in adaptations of the historic novel, but you have to watch Robert Redford's version of the role because it's simply iconic. Written by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by Jack Clayton, the film revolved around Jay Gatsby's obsession with his ex-lover, Daisy Buchanan, and the parties he threw to get to meet her.

Besides Redford, the film stars Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan, Bruce Dern as Tom Buchanan, and Sam Waterston as Nick Carraway. It went on to win two Academy Awards and remains one of the most faithful adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel.

Ordinary People

Although Redford didn't act in Ordinary People, it was his directorial debut and went on to become one of the most successful films of his career. Following a wealthy family's spiral into poverty, death, and depression, the film stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, and Timothy Hutton.

Released in September 1980, Ordinary People won four Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Hutton. It also won five Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Actress for Mary Tyler Moore, and Best Supporting Actor & New Star of the Year – Actor for Timothy Hutton.

It established Redford as a visionary director and a crucial member of cinema as he went behind the camera for the first time in his life. As we celebrate his legacy, we celebrate all his cinematic masterpieces and all the roles that made him into the legend he is today.