Born in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1936, Robert Redford studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

He became a familiar presence on TV in the early 60s, appearing on such programs as "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (left), "The Twilight Zone" (upper right), and "The Naked City" (lower right), as well as "Playhouse 90," "Perry Mason," "The Untouchables," "Route 66," "Dr Kildare," "The Virginian," and a TV production of "The Iceman Cometh."

Robert Redford made his Broadway debut in 1959 as a replacement in the comedy "Tall Story." Subsequent appearances included Dore Schary's "The Highest Tree," "Little Moon of Alban," and "Sunday in New York."

In 1963 Redford and Elizabeth Ashley starred in the Broadway premiere of Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park" (left), about young newlyweds in a New York City brownstone. Mike Nichols won the Tony Award for Best Director.

Redford's first feature credit was in the 1962 film, "War Hunt," about soldiers on the front lines of the Korean War.

Among the cast was actor Sydney Pollack (who would go on to a prestigious directing career, and who would direct seven films starring Redford), and Tom Skerritt (who would star in the Redford-directed "A River Runs Through It").

In the 1965 comedy "Situation Hopeless ... But Not Serious," Mike Connors and Robert Redford are two U.S. airmen who are kept safely hidden in a German's cellar, not knowing that their protector (played by Alec Guinness) continued to withhold the news that the war had long since ended.

In Arthur Penn's "The Chase" (1966), Robert Redford played a prison escapee being sought by sheriff Marlon Brando. Jane Fonda, Angie Dickinson and E.G. Marshall co-starred.

Robert Redford and Natalie Wood with director Sydney Pollack on the set of "This Property Is Condemned" (1966), based on the play by Tennessee Williams.

Redford recreated his Broadway performance in Gene Saks' film version of "Barefoot in the Park" (1967), opposite Jane Fonda.

Redford was raised to superstar status when he teamed with Paul Newman in George Roy Hill's "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969).

Newman and Redford's easy chemistry made the outlaws extremely likable, and laid the blueprint for a later collaboration with director George Roy Hill.

Abraham Polonsky, once blacklisted by Hollywood, returned to direct "Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here" (1969), starring Robert Redford as a lawman hunting a Paiute Indian outlaw (Robert Blake) and his lover ("Butch Cassidy" costar Katharine Ross). With Barry Sullivan and Susan Clark.

An artful poster for one of the most acclaimed sports movies, Michael Ritchie's "Downhill Racer" (1969), in which Robert Redford played an Olympic skier whose competitiveness extends beyond the slopes.

Robert Redford and Michael J. Pollard played motorcycle racers in "Little Fauss and Big Halsy" (1970).

Robert Redford and George Segal try to break Paul Sands out of a NYC correctional facility in the delightful comic heist film, "The Hot Rock" (1972). Script by "Butch Cassidy" screenwriter William Goldman, based on Donald E. Westlake's novel.

Michael Ritchie ("Downhill Racer") directed the political satire, "The Candidate" (1972), in which Robert Redford plays an idealistic lawyer, who - having shunned the political world of his father, a former Senator - is convinced to run a campaign against a supposedly unbeatable incumbent Senator. What at first becomes an excuse to speak unspeakable truths to the masses becomes a test of the young Bill McKay's ethics once he realizes that clouding his vision may actually improve his chances.

Screenwriter Jeremy Larner won an Oscar for his original script.

Robert Redford starred in the Sydney Pollack-directed western, "Jeremiah Johnson" (1972), about a former soldier who takes up the hard life of a mountain man in the Rockies. The film, shot in Utah, co-starred Will Geer.

Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford in "The Way We Were" (1973), a romantic drama in which its two stars - former college classmates - fall in love, marry and have a child, despite their differences in background and political leanings.

Robert Redford earned his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his performance as Hooker, a small-time con man who teams up with a card sharp (Paul Newman) to play a major con against a notorious crime boss (Robert Shaw) in George Roy Hill's comic drama, "The Sting" (1973).

A major box office hit, the film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and for Marvin Hamlisch's sprightly adaptation of Scott Joplin's ragtime music.

Robert Redford played Jay Gatsby, with Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan, in Jack Clayton's 1974 adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola.

A poster for "The Great Waldo Pepper" (1975), director George Roy Hill's tale of the early days of barnstorming pilots.

In the espionage thriller "Three Days of the Condor" (1975), Robert Redford played a CIA analyst who narrowly escapes hit men at his office, and who hides out in the Brooklyn home of a woman he takes prisoner (Faye Dunaway). Based on a novel by James Grady, "Condor" was directed by Sydney Pollack and costarred Cliff Robertson and Max von Sydow.

"Follow the money."

Alan J. Pakula's "All the President's Men" (1976) recounted the investigation of the Watergate break-in by two intrepid Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman). Despite their antipathy and natural competitiveness towards one another, the two collaborate and dig deep into a political dirty tricks operation, ultimately helping to bring down the presidency of Richard Nixon.

The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won four, including Best Adapted Screenplay (William Goldman) and Best Supporting Actor (Jason Robards as Post editor Ben Bradlee).

Robert Redford was one of a constellation of big-screen stars in Richard Attenborough's World War II action epic, "A Bridge Too Far" (1977), about the Allies' attempt to take a succession of German-held bridges during Operation Market Garden.

Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, who were teamed in "Barefoot in the Park" and "The Chase," starred in Sydney Pollack's romantic adventure, "The Electric Horseman" (1979), about an ex-rodeo champion who kidnaps a prized race horse that is being abused. Fonda played a TV reporter who goes after the story, and gets Redford.

In "Brubaker" (1980), Robert Redford is a reform-minded warden who is incarcerated at an Arkansas jail in order to uncover rampant corruption and abuse on the part of prison officials. Directed by Stuart Rosenberg ("Cool Hand Luke").

Robert Redford's first film as a director, "Ordinary People" (1980), told the story of an upper-middle-class family torn by the death of one son and the attempted suicide of another. Timothy Hutton and Elizabeth McGovern (left, with Redford) starred with Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch.

The film won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Redford.

Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Sundance Institute, based in Utah, fosters independence and new voices in American film. Emerging filmmakers work with top directors, writers and actors to develop independent projects, and each year the Sundance Film Festival exposes audiences to vital new filmmaking talent from around the world, in both fiction and documentaries.

Bernard Malamud's baseball novel was the inspiration for Barry Levinson's "The Natural" (1984), starring Robert Redford as a middle-aged rookie who brings an almost fantastic ability as a hitter to a struggling team.

Robert Redford played biug game hunter Denys Finch Hatton, whose affair with Danish baroness and plantation owner Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) inspired her 1937 memoir, "Out of Africa."

The film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Picture (Sydney Pollack).

Debra Winger played the attorney of a woman accused of art theft, who enlists the aid of an Assistant D.A. (Robert Redford) to help clear her client, in the romantic comedy/thriller "Legal Eagles" (1986).

Oh, and does it turn out that Daryl Hannah is guilty or innocent? Depends on which version of the film pops up on TV.

Robert Redford directed "The Milagro Beanfield War" (1988), based on John Nichols' novel, about a poor New Mexican farmer seeking to defend his illegally-irrigated plot against powerful political and business interests.

Robert Redford and Lena Olin on the set of "Havana" (1990), about a professional gambler in Cuba on the eve of the revolution.

It was Redford's seventh collaboration with director Sydney Pollack.

Robert Redford directed the 1994 drama, "Quiz Show," which recounted the TV game show scandals of the 1950s, as well as the role of contestant Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes) in a rigged game. The film was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor (Paul Scofield).

"Long ago, when I was a young man, my father said to me, 'Norman, you like to write stories.' And I said, 'Yes, I do.' Then he said, 'Someday, when you're ready, you might tell our family story. Only then will you understand what happened and why.'"

Redford directed "A River Runs Through It," based on Norman Maclean's semi-autobiographical collection of stories about his family in early 20th century Montana where, he writes, "there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing."

The film starred Brad Pitt, Tom Skerrit, Craig Sheffer, Brenda Blethyn and Emily Lloyd, and was narrated by Redford. It was nominated for three Oscars, and won one, for Best Cinematography.

River Phoenix, Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd and Sidney Poitier were among the cast of "Sneakers" (1992), about computer hackers, rogue agents, and an encryption device that could (in the wrong hands) bring down the world's economy.

In director Adrian Lyne's "Indecent Proposal" (1993), Demi Moore is offered one million dollars by a billionaire (Robert Redford) to spend one night with her. Trouble is, she's married to Woody Harrelson. Will she accept the offer? Well, it IS Robert Redford ...

Michelle Pfeiffer plays a young broadcast reporter taken under the wing of a TV news director (Robert Redford) in the romantic drama, "Up Close and Personal" (1996).

Robert Redford directed himself for the first time in the film version of Nicholas Evans' bestselling novel, "The Horse Whisperer" (1998), about a horse trainer with a unique gift. The film costarred a young Scarlett Johansson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill, Dianne Wiest and Chris Cooper.

In the Redford-directed "The Legend of Bagger Vance" (2000), a mysterious young man (Will Smith) appears to serve as the caddie of a struggling pro golfer (Matt Damon). His positive influence guides the tormented war veteran in an almost mystical way.

In "The Last Castle" (2001), James Gandolfini played the commandant of a military prison engaged in a battle of wills with an incarcerated Lt. General (Robert Redford), who effectively leads his fellow inmates in revolt.

Robert Redford was back in the espionage game, co-starring with Brad Pitt in the 2001 thriller "Spy Game," about CIA agents in China.

At the 74th Academy Awards Robert Redford was named recipient of an Honorary Oscar for his roles as an actor, director, producer, the creator of the Sundance Institute, "and an inspiration to independent and innovative filmmakers everywhere."

He poses with presenter Barbra Streisand on March 24, 2002.

Robert Redford becomes the target of a kidnapping plot in "The Clearing" (2004), costarring Willem Dafoe and Helen Mirren.

Swedish director Lasse Hallström's "An Unfinished Life" (2005) starred Robert Redford as a rancher trying to restore his relationship with his daughter-in-law (played by Jennifer Lopez). The film costarred Morgan Freeman and Damian Lewis.

Director-star Robert Redford is pictured with Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise on the set of "Lions for Lambs" (2007), a film with multiple political and military storylines connected to the war in Afghanistan.

Robin Wright starred as Mary Surratt, one of a group accused in the plot to murder President Lincoln, in the historical drama, "The Conspirator" (2010), directed by Robert Redford.

In "The Company You Keep" (2012), director Robert Redford played a former member of the Weather Underground whose identity is discovered by a young reporter. Costarring Richard Jenkins, Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte and Brit Marling.

In J. C. Chandor's "All Is Lost" (2013), Robert Redford gave a bravura performance as a solo sailor whose yacht is crippled on the high seas, and who struggles to remain afloat after a series of increasingly devastating events.

Redford (who had never sailed before) performed most all of his own stunts, and suffered partial hearing loss in one ear during the shoot.

Robert Redford joined the Marvel Universe in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014), playing Alexander Pierce, a senior leader of S.H.I.E.L.D who might be harboring some spoiler-ish secrets.

Robert Redford and Nick Nolte star in the 2015 comedy "A Walk in the Woods," based on Bill Bryson's memoir.

Robert Redford as CBS newsman Dan Rather and Cate Blanchett as news producer Mary Mapes, in the docudrama, "Truth" (2015), about the controversy surrounding documents, central to a 2004 "60 Minutes" story, that questioned President George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard - documents that were later found not to have been independently verified. The film is based on a memoir by Mapes, one of several people booted by the network following the broadcast.

Honoree Robert Redford attends the 42nd Chaplin Award Gala at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on April 27, 2015 in New York City.

Redford told the audience that returning to New York City for the honor held a special meaning for him: "I think it has a lot to do with the fact that this is where my career started, in New York City, in the theater, and because that's the root of my beginnings."

From left: Jane Fonda, honoree Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Elisabeth Moss, John Turturro and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras speak onstage at the 42nd Chaplin Award Gala at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on April 27, 2015 in New York City.

In accepting the lifetime achievement award. Redford said, "To me, not taking a risk is taking a risk. For me, [winning is] really the climb up the mountain, not so much standing at the top. Because at that point, there's nowhere to go."

Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in "Our Souls at Night." In their fourth pairings on screen, they play neighbors who combat loneliness by spending evenings together, which only gets the gossip mills churning.

In "The Old Man & the Gun" (2018), Robert Redford stars in the true story of Forrest Tucker, a lifelong outlaw who escaped from nearly every prison he was confined to, continuing to rob banks well into his late 70s.

He told CBS News' Lee Cowan that his performance in the film marks his retirement from acting, but not from work; he will still direct and produce, and champion the cause of independent films at his Sundance Institute.

"I really don't think of retirement, because to me retirement means stopping something or quitting something. Why would I quit? There's this life to lead. Why not live it as much as you can as long as you can?"

For more info:

Sundance Institute

42nd Chaplin Award Gala honoring Robert Redford, at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York

By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan