Classic Stars Match Play #11 - Warren Beatty vs Robert Redford

The classic stars match play for this week features two actors who broke through in the 1960's and had long successful careers acting, then even more success as directors. This week I give you Warren Beatty and Robert Redford. Beatty came on the scene in the late 50's on television. Specifically on the TV show, The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis. But it was in films, where he made his mark. His first film out of the box was Splendor in The Grass with Natalie Wood. And he was off and running. A few more films before he scored a major hit with Bonnie and Clyde in 1968. He had big hits during the 70's including Shampoo and Heaven Can Wait, scoring Oscar nods for writing and acting, respectively. He cut his teeth on co-directing Heaven Can Wait with Buck Henry. That set the stage for him to solo direct his 1981 masterpiece Reds, which earned him an Oscar for Best Director.

Robert Redford would follow a similar path. Getting his start on TV in 1960 with bits on Maverick, Playhouse 90, Twilight Zone, Perry Mason and other popular shows.  His first major movie happened to also star Natalie Wood, Inside Daisy Clover. The pair would reunite the following year in This Property Is Condemned. But Redford would cement his stardom when he paired with Paul Newman in a pair of films. The first was Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (1969), one of the most successful westerns ever made. Their next outing would be the even bigger smash hit, The Sting (1973). Redford would turn his attention to directing in the 80's and his first film, Ordinary People (1980) brought him a Best Director Oscar, one year before Beatty would pick his Oscar up for Reds. Redford would also start The Sundance Film Institute, where independent filmmakers could come and make their own kind of films, away from the big studios.

So here we have two golden boys from Hollywood that went on to become highly respected film-makers.
The match begins immediately and will run through Sunday 5 pm EST. Good luck to both gentlemen.

WARREN BEATTY

Name: Henry Warren Beatty
Birth Date: March 30, 1937 (Richmond, Virginia)
Height: 6' 2"
Academy awards: 6 nominations, 1 win: Best Director - Reds (1981)
Monties: none so far
My favorite Beatty film: Bonnie & Clyde
Match play record: 0-0, this is Warren's first match


CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

ROBERT REDFORD

Name: Charles Robert Redford, Jr.
Birth Date: August 18, 1936 (Santa Monica, California)
Height: 5' 9"
Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 1 win: Best Director - Ordinary People (1980)
Monties: none so far
My favorite Redford film: Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
Match Play Record: 1-1

The Natalie Wood factor