Robert Redford and Jane Fonda Movies: What Most People Get Wrong

They weren't ever a real couple. People always assume they were. How could you not? When you watch them together on screen, the air practically hums. It’s that rare, unteachable thing—cinematic shorthand.

Robert Redford and Jane Fonda spent over half a century playing lovers, fugitives, and lonely neighbors. Their partnership wasn't just about being "pretty people" in the same frame. It was about how they aged together. They started as the golden youth of the 1960s and ended as the quiet, reflective face of the 2010s.

Honestly, it’s a miracle they worked together as much as they did, considering how different their processes were. Fonda is famously prepared, intense, and deeply emotional. Redford? He was the king of the "cool" detachment, sometimes to the point of frustrating his co-stars.

The Uncredited Start: Tall Story (1960)

Most fans think their journey began with a park in New York. Nope.

It actually started on a basketball court. In the 1960 film Tall Story, Jane Fonda made her big-screen debut. She played a cheerleader named June Ryder. She was essentially chasing Anthony Perkins.

Redford was there too, but you’d blink and miss him. He was an uncredited basketball player. No lines. No fame yet. Just a tall, blonde guy in the background of Fonda's first professional steps. It’s a wild bit of trivia because it means their professional lives were tethered from the literal beginning.

The Texas Heat of The Chase (1966)

By 1966, things got serious. The Chase is a heavy, sweaty, claustrophobic drama directed by Arthur Penn. It’s got a massive cast—Marlon Brando is the sheriff, for heaven's sake.

Redford plays Bubber Reeves, an escaped convict heading home to a small Texas town. Fonda plays Anna, his wife. The twist? She’s busy having an affair with the son of the local tycoon. It’s a cynical movie. It deals with mob violence and racism and the rot of small-town life.

It wasn't a huge hit at the time. Critics kinda trashed it for being "overheated." But if you watch it now, the chemistry between Redford and Fonda is already there. It’s raw. They aren't the polished versions of themselves yet. They’re gritty.

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Barefoot in the Park (1967) and the Peak of "The Look"

This is the one. If you say "Fonda and Redford movies," this is what pops into a person’s head.

Barefoot in the Park is basically the blueprint for the modern rom-com. It’s based on the Neil Simon play. Redford had already played the role of Paul Bratter on Broadway, but Fonda was new to the mix as Corie.

They are newlyweds in a tiny, fifth-floor walk-up in Greenwich Village.

• He’s a "stuffed shirt" lawyer.
• She’s a "free spirit" who wants to dance in the middle of Washington Square Park.

The movie works because they look like they belong together. They have the same hair, the same tan, the same effortless 1960s glamour. But Fonda has often talked about how she had a massive crush on him during filming. She’d look into those blue eyes and just... forget her lines.

Redford, meanwhile, was notoriously late. He wasn't always easy to work with. He had a way of being distant that Fonda sometimes took personally. She thought he didn't like her. In reality, he just worked differently.

The Electric Horseman (1979): Mid-Career Magic

Fast forward twelve years. The 70s are ending. Everything is a bit more cynical, a bit more tired.

In The Electric Horseman, Redford is Sonny Steele, a washed-up rodeo star who sells breakfast cereal while wearing a suit covered in lightbulbs. It’s ridiculous. He’s a drunk. He’s miserable.

Fonda is Hallie Martin, a sharp-as-a-tack TV reporter.

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When Sonny steals a multi-million dollar horse to set it free in the desert, Hallie follows him for the scoop. This movie is great because it flips the dynamic. She’s the one chasing him, but they’re both fighting against "the man"—the big corporations that turn everything into a commodity.

It’s a more mature kind of love. There’s no 60s "flower power" here. It’s just two people in the dirt, talking about what matters. Fun fact: Redford loved the horse in this movie so much he actually bought it after filming ended. He kept it on his ranch in Utah for the rest of its life.

Our Souls at Night (2017): The Final Act

Then came the long silence. Thirty-eight years.

They didn't work together again until Our Souls at Night on Netflix. By this point, they were both in their late 70s/early 80s. The movie is quiet. It’s about two widowed neighbors in Colorado who decide to sleep in the same bed—not for sex, but just to have someone to talk to in the dark.

It’s heartbreakingly beautiful.

Watching them together in this film feels like watching old friends. There’s no need for the "acting" anymore. They just are. Fonda’s character is the one who initiates the arrangement. She’s still the engine, and he’s still the slightly reluctant, quiet guy.

The Truth About the "Crush"

Fonda has been very open about her feelings. She admitted she was "always in love" with him during their films.

"I was always in love with Robert Redford—I made three films with him and nothing happened because I was married and he was married."

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Redford’s response? He claims he didn't know. Or maybe he just didn't want to know. He was a very private man. He passed away in September 2025 at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy that is inextricably linked to Fonda.

When he died, Fonda was devastated. She told the press she "can't stop crying." It wasn't just a co-star passing; it was the end of a 65-year conversation.

Why Their Partnership Still Matters

We don't really see "screen pairs" like this anymore.

Nowadays, actors do a franchise and move on. Fonda and Redford gave us a longitudinal study of what it means to be human. They showed us what it looks like to be young and stupidly in love, what it looks like to be middle-aged and fighting for your soul, and what it looks like to be old and just needing a hand to hold in the middle of the night.

What You Should Do Next

If you want to truly appreciate the range of the Redford and Fonda movies, don't just stick to the hits.

1. Watch 'The Chase' first. It’s the least "pretty" they ever looked together. It sets the stage for the raw talent they both possessed before they became icons.
2. Double-feature 'Barefoot in the Park' and 'Our Souls at Night'. Watch them back-to-back. The contrast between the frantic energy of the 60s and the stillness of the 2010s is a masterclass in acting.
3. Look for the small things. Notice how they lean into each other. Watch Fonda's eyes when Redford speaks. That isn't just acting; that's a genuine, decades-old connection.

Their filmography isn't just a list of titles. It's a timeline of two of the greatest stars Hollywood ever produced, figuring out life alongside their audience.

Actionable Insight: If you're a film student or a buff, pay close attention to the pacing of their dialogue in The Electric Horseman. Director Sydney Pollack allowed them to talk over each other in a way that was revolutionary for the time, creating a sense of realism that modern "perfectly edited" films often lack. Use that as a benchmark for what natural screen chemistry should actually look like.