Robert Redford's iconic roles, like 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, have left a lasting impact on readers. (20th Century-Fox Film Corporation, TM & Copyright/courtesy Everett Collection)Robert Redford stood tall among a rare class of Hollywood legends.
Moviegoers fell in love with the big-screen charmer, whether he was playing the heartthrob, outlaw or "Wonderboy"-swinging baseball star. The Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Natural actor carried aconfidence and cool that appealed to all. Redford became an Oscar-winning director, championed independent filmmaking through his Sundance Film Festival and advocated for environmental causes.
As news of his death on Sept. 16 at age 89 spread, Yahoo readers reflected on the icon's legacy, who helped shape the New Hollywood era of filmmaking. You shared your favorite Redford films - and what you remembered most about seeing them. You told stories about how meeting him felt like "being in the presence of a superhero" and how he inspired your career paths.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHis influence, onscreen and off, touched so many of your lives in meaningful ways that we decided to gather some from our comments section. They have been edited for length and clarity.
The films you'll never forgetRedford lives on in the movies he starred in and the stories he told from behind the camera. Here, Yahoo users tell us their favorite films."As an actor, my favorite was The Natural, a fairy tale of striving to be the best, which never fails to inspire me, no matter how many times I've seen it. 'There goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was' still gets me. As a director, the list of [his] incredible work is very long, but A River Runs Through It and The Horse Whisperer top my list. Subtle, character-driven works that demonstrate the importance of the individual and show that compelling stories don't require blowing up spaceships." - Wayne"The Sting is one of my all-time favorites. Paul Newman, Robert Shaw and now Robert Redford gone." - TAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Although best known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, my favorite movie was The Way We Were." - Gary"A Robert Redford movie that's often overlooked is The Candidate. It's a study in politics, money, influence, stuff still relevant today." - Bugtussle"The guy was a great actor who I enjoyed in several movies but my personal favorite of his was Sneakers. Great cast and very entertaining." - Redbeard"Anyone remember This Property Is Condemned with Natalie Wood? One of his early movies. Great actor, with an impressive range of work. He will be missed." - John"We normally focus on Redford's iconic roles, but his film Ordinary People was a multi-Oscar winner and nominee. It's film at its best, with meaning, impact, and nuance." - UserRedford with his Best Director Oscar for Ordinary People in 1981. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)"Jeremiah Johnson is a movie you can watch and escape to anytime the current world gets too insane and unbearable." - PhantomAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"All Is Lost was the last, and one of his best, films. Even though there was hardly any dialogue, Mr. Redford was still able to pull this action-adventure film off. And he was 77!" - Daniel"Barefoot in the Park. The Way We Were. I loved him." - Elizabeth"My favorite actor in terms of who he was as a person of all time. Also, the sexiest. Ladies, if you haven't seen Out of Africa, I highly recommend it. Robert and Meryl [Streep] are GREAT in that movie." - Cassie"HOT TIP: Watch the great movie Spy Game with Redford and Brad Pitt in it." - DavidThe moments you rememberYou didn't just enjoy Redford's most unforgettable roles; you can remember where you were and who you were with watching him light up the screen.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I remember in 1969 sitting in the backseat of my parents' car watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at a drive-in movie screen in the desert outside of El Paso, Texas. The stuff memories are made of." - MichaelPaul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. (20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection)"I was an utterly miserable and poor college freshman when The Sting came to the second-run multiplex near my school. The matinee was just a buck. I went alone seven weeks in a row, out of the eight weeks it was playing. I loved Scott Joplin's music, the 1930s setting, the clothes, the breaking of society's rules in ways that were so much more exciting than what passed for a social life in my football-obsessed university. I enjoyed those two hours each week more than anything else I did that entire year." - Susan"I've watched Jeremiah Johnson more times than I can remember. I first saw it during the summertime, but all the winter scenes made me shiver. They were so well done! Great cast, great scenery." - David"I remember watching Butc