Every once in a while, Hollywood produces a star whose presence on screen feels effortless, yet unforgettable. Robert Redford is one of those rare figures. On his birthday, it’s only fitting we look back at some of the remarkable moments that made him a household name and a true legend of American cinema.

Audiences first fell under Redford’s spell in the late 1960s, when he paired with Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). As Sundance, Redford was quick, sly, and irresistibly cool—the kind of character who didn’t just leap off the screen, but stayed in your memory long after the credits rolled. That film not only cemented Redford as a star, but also gave him one of the most famous nicknames in movie history.

He followed it with another teaming with Newman in The Sting (1973), a picture that won the Oscar for Best Picture and showed audiences a different side of Redford: a smooth con man with sharp wit and impeccable timing. Watching him navigate that story’s twists is still one of the joys of 1970s cinema.

But Redford wasn’t just charm and good looks. In All the President’s Men (1976), he embodied Bob Woodward, one of the journalists who broke the Watergate scandal. It was a performance that proved his depth—serious, determined, and grounded in a story that mattered. It also reflected Redford’s long-standing belief that film could do more than entertain; it could inform and inspire.

For many, though, the moment they remember most is The Natural (1984), where Redford, as Roy Hobbs, stepped up to the plate and delivered one of the most iconic endings in film history—a home run that seemed to glow with mythic power. It was classic Redford: heroic, but with a touch of melancholy.

And we can’t forget his career behind the camera. His directorial debut, Ordinary People (1980), stunned Hollywood by winning the Academy Award for Best Picture and earning Redford his own Oscar for Best Director. Later, with the founding of the Sundance Institute and Film Festival, he reshaped the landscape of independent film, giving countless new voices a platform.

So why do we celebrate Robert Redford? Because few actors have given us so many moments of pure cinematic magic, and few filmmakers have done so much to ensure that the next generation has a chance to create their own. On screen and off, Redford has been a guiding light. And as any movie fan knows, the light he brought to the screen is one that will never dim.