His first Broadway appearance was in "Tall Story" in 1959, and he went on to star in the hit production "Barefoot in the Park" in 1963.

In the top-grossing movie of 1969, Redford played one of two titular outlaws, the "Sundance Kid," opposite Paul Newman's Butch Cassidy. Twelve years later, Redford would use the character as inspiration for the name of his film festival.

Redford became an Oscar nominee for his starring role as Johnny Hooker in 1973's The Sting, in which he reunited with his "Butch Cassidy" costar, Paul Newman. It was Redford's first and only acting nod, but he lost to Jack Lemmon.

However, "The Sting" won that year's Academy Award for best picture.

The iconic romance "The Way We Were" was Redford's second box office smash of 1973.

The film saw Redford flex his acting muscles he hadn't used in previous films, helping him become a bankable Hollywood lead.

Redford's costar, Barbra Streisand, was nominated for best actress at the 46th Academy Awards for her portrayal of Katie Morosky.

In "All the President's Men," Redford and Dustin Hoffman played Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, respectively. The 1976 movie follows the duo as they investigate the Watergate scandal, which led to the collapse of the Nixon administration.

"All the President's Men" won four Oscars out of eight nominations, though Redford would have to wait until he became a director to win one himself.

Redford won the 1981 Academy Award for best director. His directorial debut, "Ordinary People," which depicts a wealthy family falling apart after a son dies in a boat accident, also won best picture.

Redford founded the Sundance Institute in the summer of 1981, bringing 16 filmmakers to the Sundance Resort in Utah for workshops, labs, and funding opportunities.

He later said of the arts nonprofit: "For me, the Sundance Institute is an extension of something I believed in, which is creating a mechanism for new voices to have a place to develop and be heard."

In 1984, Redford helped rebrand the US Film Festival as the Sundance Film Festival, making it a cornerstone of independent cinema.

Redford starred in the 1985 film "Out of Africa" opposite Meryl Streep. It won seven Oscars out of 11 nominations, including best picture.

Redford received critical acclaim for directing the 1992 period drama "A River Runs Through It," but his second Oscar nod for directing was bestowed for 1994's "Quiz Show," a historical drama starring John Turturro, Rob Morrow, and Ralph Fiennes.

"Quiz Show" received three additional Oscar nominations, including best picture.

Redford received a lifetime achievement award at the 74th Academy Awards to recognize four decades of onscreen work and his support of independent filmmaking.

While presenting the award to her "The Way We Were" costar, Barbra Streisand described Redford as "the intellectual, the artist, the cowboy."

"He has a passion for telling stories that reflect the strengths and the vulnerabilities of the American spirit, our struggle to achieve what is highest in our nature," Streisand said.

Although Redford's work in the '90s failed to recapture the critical and commercial heights of his early filmography, he was praised for his solitary performance in the 2013 survival drama "All Is Lost." Redford's unnamed sailor is nearly mute throughout the film and is the only person who appears onscreen.

In his review for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw praised Redford's "craggily unreadable, Mount Rushmore expression," adding, "It is fascinating and even moving to see Robert Redford take such a demanding role."

Redford was nominated for best actor in a motion picture drama at the 2013 Golden Globes.

Redford portrayed Alexander Pierce, a high-ranking member of the US government and undercover Hydra agent, in the 2014 "Captain America" sequel. Five years later, he reprised the role for a brief cameo in "Avengers: Endgame."

At the world premiere of "The Old Man and the Gun" at the 2018 Telluride Film Festival, Redford told the audience that his performance in the heist comedy — which earned him another Golden Globe nomination — would be his last.

"The truth is that I really do feel that it's time for me to move into retirement," he said, per Variety. "I've been doing this since I was 21. I've put my soul and heart into it over the years. I thought, 'That's enough. Why don't you quit while you're a little bit ahead? Don't wait for the bell to toll. Just get out.' So I felt my time had come, and I couldn't think of a better project to go out on than this film."

Redford later said he didn't realize the comment would cause such a stir.

"I should just slip quietly away," Redford told The Salt Lake Tribune. "I said it was probably my last as an actor. I didn't want to hit that too hard. But at Telluride and Toronto, it took the focus away from what the movie was about."

Although he admitted "never say never" if the right role came along, Redford, then 82, said he was "pretty committed" to retiring from acting. He also said he was eager to keep directing and producing films, in addition to overseeing the Sundance Institute.

Redford said that when he could no longer steer the arts nonprofit, he would leave operations in the hands of his children Shauna, Amy, and Jamie, whom he shares with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen.

"I feel I'm at a point where, beyond encouraging them, I can step not completely away, but step aside, so they can take the thing and run with it," Redford said. "Basically, they're inheriting what I started, and they're going to keep it going with my grandchildren."