Robert Redford's Final Photos Show The Actor's Iconic Looks Stood The Test Of Time

Robert Redford was just as well-known for his iconic films during the New Hollywood era as he was for his magnetic on-screen presence. Naturally, the '70s heartthrob looked different in the 2000s, when his career slowed down, but he never lost some of his most powerful features. Even in his later years, Redford, who died at age 89 in September 2025, still boasted the same captivating smile and strong facial structure as he did as a hunky 30- or 40-something-year-old. His fans thought so, too.

In a September 2025 Facebook post featuring one of the last pictures taken of him, Redford sat next to his wife, Sibylle Szaggars, and some friends as they smiled for the camera. Fans highlighted how much of the young Hollywood icon was still visible in his face. "For 88 (as he was in this photo) he looks amazing. Slightly frailer than we are used to but still very handsome. Great hair and jawline for a man that age," one netizen wrote. 

Others were similarly impressed by Redford's full head of hair. "Still had that gorgeous head of hair and beautiful smile for a man nearly 90 years old. When you've got it, you've got it no matter what!" one Facebook user raved. Mourning fans believed his good looks reflected what was inside, with many underscoring Redford's activism. "Was a great actor and still very good looking he'll be missed but will live on in his movies, Sundance and his works with his son's cancer foundation and his work for our environment," a third fan gushed. Redford died a handsome man, but he didn't always love being one. 

It's not that Robert Redford disliked being handsome. But the focus put on his looks frustrated him at times. "I never thought of myself as a glamorous guy, a handsome guy, any of that stuff," he told The New York Times in 1974. When he transitioned from art student to stage actor in the late '50s, he wanted to explore acting in all its artistic expression. 

And being constantly being offered parts because of how he looked narrowed his chances of really exploring different characters. "Suddenly there's this image. And it makes me very nervous, because it keeps people from judging you on performance," Redford said. While he enjoyed starring in "The Candidate" and "The Way We Were," he wanted more breadth. "I had to fight to get 'Jeremiah Johnson' because it didn't fit the image," Redford added, referring to the mountain man he played in the 1972 Western.

Redford proved he had plenty of talent to go around, being nominated for the 1973 caper film "The Sting," but he harbored the belief that his looks hindered his career well into his later years. "[It was a] bit of a cage that was hard to get out of," he told BBC in 2013. Perhaps that conflicting relationship he had with his looks is partly why he embraced the physical changes that came with aging. "I am what I am ... So what if my face is falling apart? I don't give a damn. Anyway it gives me character," he said at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002 (via Independent).