Redford

Thinking through my top Redford… I of course agree with Erik that Redford’s body of work never quite matched his promise; he was astonishingly good looking and a very good actor and turned those gifts into a fine career that did not quite reach the stratosphere of American acting. Of course, his oft-partner Paul Newman didn’t really reach that level until very late, so I can appreciate that it feels a bit churlish to complain that an icon wasn’t quite as iconic as he could have been.

This is one of my favorite Redford roles; I had a girlfriend who got so angry at the idea that this was actually Redford that she stopped talking to me for a while after I looked it up on IMDB.

Beyond this, in no particular order:

1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
2. The Sting
3. The Candidate
4. Sneakers
5. The Natural
6. The Great Gatsby
7. Spy Game

He was also a fine director, justly celebrated for Ordinary People among other films. I suspect that it will surprise everyone, including myself just a little bit, to confess that I have never in my life seen All the President’s Men. I guess I know what I’ll be watching tonight…