Before Pitt, Clooney or Di Caprio, there was Redford.
Robert Redford
The blueprint for Hollywood’s leading man, Robert Redford, reinstated the appeal for a charming, blue-eyed heartthrob during the era of edgy, bad boys like Marlon Brando and James Dean.
Robert Redford ruled the late 1960s and 1970s cinema, and if you have not heard of him (what a shame), here is a list of movies to introduce you to the late, great film star.
Barefoot in the Park
A newlywed’s marriage is called into question after they move into their first apartment in New York.
Robert Redford stars as Paul Bratter, a stuffed-shirt lawyer who falls madly in love with the maverick, Corie Bratter, played by Jane Fonda.
Redford gives a humorous and heartfelt take as a man lost in his new wife’s free-spirited nature.
A lot of the movie’s charm and best scenes come from interactions between the couple. Redford and Fonda are not only believable as newlyweds but have both a physical and comedic chemistry to rival that of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.
Redford himself is utterly charming as Mr Bratter, the more rational half of Mrs Bratter, and even walks barefoot in the park.
All the President’s men
You don’t need to have read the book or be a history buff to be captivated by this political drama.
Playing the real-life journalist Bob Woodward, Redford uncovers the biggest political scandal in Washington – Watergate, alongside Carl Bernstein, played by Dustin Hoffman.
Redford delivers a stellar performance, which was critically acclaimed.
The movie is perhaps one of the best biographical political thrillers, and Robert Redford is a big reason why that is.
The Great Gabsy
Portraying the most iconic literary character, Robert Redford plays Jack Gatsby in the 1974 film adaptation of the book.
Redford is as brilliant as the charismatic businessman who is obsessed with his lost love, Daisy Buchanan.
Despite receiving mixed reviews, Redford’s turn as the nouveau riche was hailed as being “excellent in the title role, the mysterious gentleman of humble origins and bootlegging connections”.
If anyone can pull off an iconic literary character like Jay Gatsby, it is Robert Redford.
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