Robert Redford: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. The Sundance Kid - Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)

No list of Redford's best performances would be complete without the role which made him an international star. His first of two collaborations with Paul Newman and director George Roy Hill is still regarded as a classic of the western genre. Scripted by William Goldman, who later wrote The Princess Bride, it's a breezy and highly entertaining romp with a brace of great performances at its centre.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is based very loosely on the lives of Wild West outlaws Roger LeRoy Parker (a.k.a. Butch Cassidy) and Harry Longabough (a.k.a. The Sundance Kid). Accompanied by their Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, the pair plan to rob the Union Pacific Overland Flyer train in both directions. The first robbery goes well but the second is a shambles, forcing Butch and Sundance to go on the run, starting a chase that will eventually lead them to Bolivia.

Redford won a BAFTA for his performance, one of six BAFTAs and four Oscars the film took home, including Best Picture at both ceremonies. On top of his undeniable sex appeal (even with the silly moustache), it's easy to see why he deserved the accolade.

Rather than just play him as a pretty-boy sidekick, Redford makes Sundance a rounded character with his own foibles and flaws, and his chemistry with Newman is impeccable. It's therefore no surprise that they eventually reunited for the next film on our list...