With an acting career spanning almost 60 years, and a successful directing career spanning about half that time, Robert Redford is one of the American film industry's most prominent figures. As a distinctively handsome and talented actor, he won hearts almost instantly, and was at his height of stardom throughout the late 1960s and into the 70s. Starting in the early 1980s, he also branched out into directing, and found great success there.