He's meant to be that classic Homer, Ulysses, Hercules - a character who goes out or has some gift of some kind. He goes on a journey of discovery and part of that is falling into darkness - the temptations of life.

It also explored political and social issues of South America that influenced Guevara and shaped his future. His first outing as director was in 1980's Ordinary People a drama about the slow disintegration of an upper-middle class family for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director. Pakula and scripted once again by Goldman was a landmark film for Redford.

At the height of Redford's fame in the late 1960s to 1980s he was often described as one of the world's most attractive men and remains one of the most popular movie stars. In 2010 he was awarded French Knighthood in the Legion d'Honneur.