A California native, Robert Redford was born in 1937, at the end of the Great Depression. His early years were filled with boredom and rebellion - he enjoyed stealing hubcaps and climbing Hollywood buildings for fun, and in high school, sports were the only pursuit that kept him out of serious trouble. He was naturally athletic, and won a baseball scholarship to University of Colorado at Boulder - but once at Boulder he developed a drinking problem, never went to practice, and was eventually expelled.

After his short-lived tenure in college, Redford was fired from numerous jobs, including a stint as a grocery stuffer, and he was fired from carpentry work after being caught sneaking catnaps on the job. He then worked in the oilfields in L.A., where he earned enough money to take a trip to Paris to study art (he ended up wandering around Europe for a year instead). Upon his return in 1958, he met Lola Jean Van Wagenen, his soon-to-be wife, who encouraged him to enroll at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn to study painting. Deciding that he wanted to study set design for the theater, he entered the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where an acting teacher encouraged him to try out for a Broadway play, Tall Story. He got the part immediately, and so began Redford's acting career.

After a few roles in film, theater, and television that failed to win him wide acclaim, Redford landed the lead in The Sundance Kid (1969), launching his success. After critically applauded movies as The Candidate (1972) and All the President's Men (1976), Redford went on to win an Academy Award for his direction of Ordinary People in 1980. One year later, he founded the groundbreaking Sundance Institute, which helps support independent film with programs like the renowned Sundance Film Festival. Other highlights of his career include Out of Africa (1985) and Indecent Proposal (1993).