Beautiful US locations made famous by Robert Redford movies

All-American locations

In many ways, Robert Redford was the All-American movie star – charismatic, handsome, and imbued with a deep integrity. He told distinctly American stories, set in distinctly American settings.

Click through the gallery to honour his life and career and celebrate the distinctly American landscapes he championed…

Barefoot in the Park: New York City, New York

This 1967 adaptation of the Neil Simon play of the same name stars Robert Redford and Jane Fonda as a newly married couple renting their first apartment in New York City.

It’s a quest that leads the couple on a merry dance through Greenwich Village, showcasing iconic brownstone apartments in beautiful, tree-lined streets and finally to Washington Square, where Robert Redford’s character finally learns to loosen up.

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid: Zion National Park, Utah

Based loosely on the real-life adventures of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker and Harry Longabaugh, also known as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, this 1969 buddy Western firmly cemented Robert Redford and Paul Newman as bona fide superstars.

Although set in Wyoming in the 1890s, much of the film was shot in Utah’s spectacular Zion National Park, making the otherworldly landscapes here international movie stars too.

The Way We Were: Los Angeles, California

Set against the backdrop of post-World War II McCarthyism, this Oscar-winning movie proves that genuine friendship and physical attraction are not enough to overcome diametrically opposed beliefs – even with a chemistry as strong as Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand's.

The movie follows the couple to Los Angeles, where Robert Redford’s character pursues his dream of writing movies. Many of the city’s famous locations are featured, including the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel, pictured.

The Sting: Chicago, Illinois

Set in 1930’s Chicago, The Sting teams up Robert Redford and Paul Newman once more. This time they are loveable grifters, trying to con a mob boss. It's very much a love letter to Chicago and the irrepressible people who lived there during this lively period of the city’s history.

Despite capturing the very essence of the Windy City, very little of the movie was actually filmed there. Chicago’s famous ‘El’ line (pictured), was shot on the Universal backlot in Los Angeles, using a set built for Norman Jewison’s largely forgotten 1969 period comedy Gaily Gaily.

The Great Gatsby: Newport, Rhode Island

Regarded as the definitive adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, the 1974 release of The Great Gatsby, directed by Jack Clayton and starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, turned to the great Mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, to capture the excesses of the Gilded Age.

Much of the movie was shot at Rosecliff, a mansion designed in the style of the Petit Trianon at Versailles, built in 1909 by the wealthy Oelrich family.

All The President’s Men: Washington DC

This tense political thriller is a biographical account of the Watergate Scandal that brought down American President Richard Nixon. Redford plays Bob Woodward, one of the Washington Post journalists who uncovered and reported on the scandal.

Based on real-life events, authenticity was vital. The movie was shot in and around the capital, featuring many of its iconic landmarks, as well as the unassuming Watergate Complex (pictured) that was central to the events of the movie.

The Electric Horseman: The Watchman, Zion National Park, Utah

This 1979 romance/drama sees Redford star as Norman "Sonny" Steele, a rodeo star past his prime, driven to steal a horse and ride off into the desert. It sees him team up once again with Jane Fonda, who plays the part of a feisty reporter, keen to tell Sonny's side of the story.

The movie also sees Redford team up again with the iconic, panoramic vistas of Utah’s spectacular Zion National Park. It is here, in the shadow of the park’s famous peak, The Watchman, that he sets his horse, Rising Star, free.

The Natural: Buffalo, New York

In this 1984 classic, Robert Redford plays the role of Roy Hobbs, a mysterious middle-aged baseball player whose extraordinary skills take the struggling New York Knights to the top of the table.

Set in the 1930s, the film was largely shot in Buffalo, which remained largely modernised at the time and had a period baseball stadium, the War Memorial Stadium. The stadium was once home to the Buffalo Bisons and has sadly since been torn down.

Sneakers: San Francisco, California

This post-Cold War thriller, released in 1993, sees Robert Redford play the role of a security pro whose team of misfits are tasked with retrieving a mysterious black box.

Filmed primarily around San Francisco and the surrounding Bay area. The group’s headquarters is set in the Fox Theatre in Oakland. And San Francisco’s famous waterfront boulevard and promenade, the Embarcadero (pictured), also features, when Redford’s character drives away after handing over the retrieved piece of tech to agents.

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A River Runs Through It: Paradise Valley, Montana

Robert Redford doesn’t star in this family drama set in the 1920s in and around Missoula, Montana. But he does provide the narration. And as the director, he lovingly captures the widescreen beauty of this gorgeous part of the United States.

Fly-fishing is the key metaphor here, and most of the film’s extensive fishing scenes were filmed on the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley, Montana. 

Indecent Proposal: Las Vegas, Nevada

Would you allow your wife to sleep with a complete stranger for one million dollars? That was, quite literally, the million-dollar question that intrigued the world when this movie was released in 1993.

Robert Redford plays the businessman making the ‘indecent proposal.’ Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore are the conflicted young couple. And Las Vegas provides a suitably amoral backdrop.

The Horse Whisperer: Livingston, Montana

This adaptation of the international best-selling novel by Nicholas Evans saw Redford return to the wide, open spaces of Montana – an environment he seemed increasingly comfortable in towards the end of his career.

He plays the role of a horse trainer with an almost mystical ability to heal traumatised horses, and in this case, their traumatised rider. Engle Ranch, a working cattle ranch near Livingston in Montana (pictured), served as the location for Double Divide Ranch, the home of Redford’s character, Tom.

A Walk in the Woods: Fontana Dam, North Carolina

A grizzled Robert Redford teams up with an even more grizzled Nick Nolte to play the role of travel writer Bill Bryson in this 2015 adaptation of his much-loved travelogue, A Walk in the Woods.

The movie follows the exploits of two old friends as they attempt to traverse the 2,190-mile-long (3,524km) Appalachian Trail, which passes through 14 states. The movie was largely shot around Fontana Dam in North Carolina.

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