Let’s get the most obvious bit out of the way first—Robert Redford was an incredibly handsome man. So was Paul Newman. And together, they made one of the most charismatic pairings in the history of cinema—first in the Western about two buddy-outlaws, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), and later as conmen in the stylish caper, The Sting (1973). As a friend pointed out, the twosome personified bromance before the term was coined.
It was a partnership that went beyond the screen. In an interview with Michael Parkinson, Redford talked about a practical joke he had played on Newman’s 50th birthday. A trifle bored of his obsession with racing, he presented Newman an old, wrecked Porsche, nicely gift-wrapped. Newman didn’t breathe a word about it.
Three weeks later, Redford found a huge parcel at his own door—a gigantic block of metal melted down from an old wrecked car. Redford kept quiet too, but had it crafted into a garden statue and sent back to Newman’s Connecticut home a few miles away. It remained a block-solid reminder of a lifelong bond—one which Newman’s daughter Nell spoke of as “a movie friendship that blossomed into something more serious”.
Another irresistible pairing, also powered by friendship, was forged with Jane Fonda. Barefoot in the Park (1967), a romcom about the marriage of two antithetical people, came alive with their sassy chemistry. It was a film version of Redford’s most successful Broadway outing.
Meanwhile, it was in Fonda’s debut Tall Story (1960) that Redford made his first, though uncredited, screen appearance. The two also co-starred in The Electric Horseman (1979) and then, 38 years later, in the Netflix original, Our Souls at Night (2017), directed by none other than Ritesh Batra of The Lunchbox fame.
In an interview with this writer in 2017, Batra remembered Redford’s fondness for books and how they shared a love for Kent Haruf’s work on which Our Souls at Night was based. Batra was mindful of the sense of history Fonda and Redford brought to the film, which was also produced by Redford. “We wanted to make it with a lot of dignity, given the careers they have been through over 50 years,” he said.
Another significant Redford association was with filmmaker Sydney Pollack, with whom he worked on seven films including the epic romance Out of Africa (1985). Redford first met Pollack on the shoot for War Hunt (1962), in which both acted. “We had very similar sensibilities and I think very similar ambitions to do special work, or at least what we thought was special,” Redford would say later.
Redford did indeed do some exceptional work. But more than his presence on screen, there are the treasured remembrances of him as a likeable gentleman, trusted friend, and a good human being. One of the biggest stars of his time was also a Renaissance Man—producer, director, activist, entrepreneur, mentor, and philanthropist. Not just a gatherer of the Oscars, Golden Globes or BAFTAs, but also a winner of America’s highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
One of Redford’s most memorable turns would be as Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward (with Dustin Hoffman as colleague Carl Bernstein) in All the President's Men (1976), the film about the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s impeachment. Before the film, it was Redford who coaxed the book out of the journalist dup. “He urged Carl Bernstein and myself to tell the Watergate story through the eyes and experiences of our reporting and the relations between the two of us,” Woodward wrote in his tribute.
An authentic portrayal of journalistic realities, the film also underscored his own engagement with issues. He took up the cause of environment and climate change and the rights of the indigenous people and the queer community. He cared deeply for nature and lived in the state of Utah by the Rockies that he loved. He equated the environment with national security: “Defence of our resources is just as important as defence abroad. Otherwise, what is there to defend?”
Of all his roles, perhaps the most impactful is the founding of the non-profit Sundance Institute in 1981, which supports independent filmmakers through workshops, labs, residencies, and the annual Sundance Film Festival, one of the largest independent film festivals in the world. For a star forged in big-money Hollywood, he championed the independent cinema movement and turned it into a creative force to reckon with.
Ironically, the year Sundance Film Festival announced it would move from Park City in Utah—Redford’s hometown—to Boulder, Colorado turned out to be the one when he decided to travel on from Earth.
Read all columns by Namrata Joshi
Namrata Joshi
Consulting Editor
Follow her on X @Namrata_Joshi