Here’s A Look At The Unrelenting Handsomeness of Robert Redford

By Tyler Coates @tylercoates
Published Aug. 18, 2015, 9:00 a.m. ET

Screen legend Robert Redford turns 79 today, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate the career of the actor, director, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. Sure, you could look at some of the iconic characters he created on screen, some of the excellent films he directed (including the Oscar-winning drama Ordinary People, which picked up Best Picture and Best Director), or even his influence on the world of independent cinema — particularly the indie film boom sparked during famous film festival in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Or, perhaps more superficially, we could look at how attractive he is. I mean, Robert Redford is staggeringly handsome. That hair! Those blue eyes! That jaw line! Truly one of the greatest foxes in movie history. And what better way to celebrate than with a slideshow that depicts his gorgeous allure?

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Everett Collection
Redford, starring opposite the equally gorgeous Jane Fonda, plays the tightly wound Paul, a newlywed sharing a minuscule apartment in Greenwich Village with his young wife. But who wouldn't want to be cooped up in a tight space with that guy? [Where to stream Barefoot in the Park]Photo courtesy Everett Collection
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That Redford could hold his own against the equally handsome Paul Newman is quite a feat. But really, you have a double whammy of attractiveness with these two movie icons playing a pair of outlaws on the run. [Where to stream Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]Photo: 20th Century Fox; Courtesy Everett Collection
This satire about the political machines who can make or break a successful politician stars Redford as the all-American Bill McKay, who is tapped to run against the Republican incumbent in a California senate race. Who cares about his political stance? Those blue eyes have got my vote.[Where to stream The Candidate]Photo courtesy Everett Collection
Sorry, Leonardo DiCaprio, but the true Jay Gatsby is definitely Robert Redford in this albeit mediocre adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's jazz-age classic. Sure, the movie's not great, but Redford in those stylish clothes? It could be worse. [Where to stream The Great Gatsby]Photo courtesy Everett Collection
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If there's one word to describe Robert Redford, it definitely wouldn't be "bookish." Yet here he plays a wimpy CIA agent who ditches his desk for field work after his coworkers are murdered in the office while he's out to lunch. And then he falls in love with Faye Dunaway. Dream big, nerds! [Where to stream Three Days of the Condor]Photo: Paramount Pictures; Courtesy Everett Collection
Bob Woodward WISHES he looked this dashing when he and his Washington Post colleague Carl Bernstein were uncovering the secret dealings behind the Watergate break-in. [Where to stream All the President's Men]Photo courtesy Everett Collection
Once again channeling some Gatsby-ish fashions, Redford stars as fictional baseball legend Roy Hobbs, whose natural talents don't make him immune to heartbreak, attempted murder, and professional disappointment. [Where to stream The Natural]Photo: TriStar Pictures; Courtesy Everett Collection
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Never has a shampooing looked so seductive. Meryl Streep's Karen Blixen already had the luck of living in the exotic locales of British East Africa, but to have the extra fortune of falling for the handsome big-game hunter played by Redford? I wouldn't want to go back to Denmark, either. [Where to stream Out of Africa]Photo: Universal Pictures; Courtesy Everett Collection
Redford plays a former '60s radical who proves he's just as capable of keeping government agents on their toes and hacking computer networks as he is retaining the swagger and good looks of his youth. [Where to stream Sneakers]Photo: Universal Pictures; Courtesy Everett Collection
If you're a guy and a billionaire offers you a million dollars to spend a night with your wife, you may have a minor crisis. If you're a woman and Robert Redford offers to spend a night with you, you might just say yes without accepting the check. [Where to stream Indecent Proposal]Photo: Paramount Pictures; Courtesy Everett Collection
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The strong, silent type floating aimlessly on the open sea? Can't be tied down by the land OR be thwarted by tropical storm after his sea craft has broken, leaving him in peril? I dig it. [Where to stream All Is Lost]Photo: Lionsgate; Courtesy Everett Collection
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